Forest officials seized a 4.5-feet-long leopard skin near the Old Bus-Stand at Karanjia in Mayurbhanj district on Wednesday night and arrested seven persons in this connection.
The accused were nabbed in a joint operation by officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Keonjhar and the Karanjia Forest Range.
Preliminary investigation suggestd that the leopard was shot at in the Baunspal area some 15 to 20 days back. In the last five days, the accused were frequently changing locations from Keonjhar to Thakurmunda to strike a deal for the leopard skin, said a police official.
Initially, the joint team had arrested two persons while striking the deal; and subsequently, five more were nabbed from Keonjhar for their alleged involvement in the crime.
