Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) [India], March 3 (ANI): The Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday apprehended one person and seized leopard skin during a search operation with the help of Ramgiri forest officials.

A senior STF official said, "On the basis of reliable information, a team of STF conducted a raid with the help of Ramgiri forest officials on the road in between the villages of Machaghara and Khamari Sahi under Gajapati district and found a leopard's skin and other incriminating materials illegally possessed by the accused, Pabitra Lima."

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The accused has been detained and handed over to Ramgiri forest officials for necessary legal action to be taken at their end and the wildlife product will be sent to Wild Life Institute of India, Deharadun for chemical examination, added the STF official.

Special drive against wildlife criminals and poachers has been launched since 2020, and the STF so far has seized as many as the skin of 26 leopards, 15 elephant tusks, the skin of 7 deer, 11 live pangolin, 19.5 kg of pangolin scales, two leopard teeth, 29 leopard claws, 46 live wild parrots, besides arresting 60 wildlife criminals, said the senior official. (ANI)

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(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)