In a crackdown against wildlife trade, Forest Department officials led by Balangir DFO Sameer Satpathy on Monday night seized a leopard skin by conducting a raid on a house in Kansar village in Balangir district and arrested a person. The arrested accused was identified as Biswamitra Rana. Based on a tipoff about wildlife smuggling underway for the past few days in Kansar village, the officials had mounted surveillance. Later, zeroing in on a house in the village, the staffs of the Saintala Forest Range raided a house posing as bank employees. Though owner of house managed to give a slip to team, they detained Biswamitra, who was present on spot with leopard skin. The seized leopard skin was 2.5 feet long and weighed three kg. Further investigation was ongoing to unearth more information about kingpin and involvement of others inracket.
