The Aryavarth Express
Bhubaneswar: The Special Task Force apprehended a man on Tuesday for possessing a leopard skin and trying to deliver it to a customer near village Ranipathar under PurunaKatak police station district Boudh.
“After successful investigation, a chargesheet was filed against the accused person under an appropriate section of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972,” the STF said.
A trial of the accused person was also conducted in which the court sentenced the accused person to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 only for the commission of the offence.
The accused was attempting to sell the skin by the side of Charichhak-Phulbani main road when he was apprehended.
The seized leopard skin was sent to the WildLife Institute of India, Dehradun, for biological chemical examination, and an affirmative opinion was received.
The STF informed that as many as 11 witnesses were examined and nine documents were submitted during the trial by the prosecution.
“This is the ninth case of STF where the accused persons were convicted under the Wildlife Protection Act,” as per a statement.
“Till date, trials have been completed in nine wildlife cases, and all the cases ended in conviction. This is worth mentioning that the conviction rate of wildlife crime cases in India is less than five percent.”
STF is the specialised wing of Odisha Police to curb organised crime as well as the cases against wildlife in the state.
STF Odisha has taken special efforts to ensure that its investigation is of the highest standards, and it meticulously follows prosecution in the courts so that the cases are brought to a logical conclusion or conviction.
An offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act is also one of the focus areas of STF.