Odisha: 2 Wildlife Smugglers Sentenced to 3 Years for Leopard Hide Possession

Rayagada: Two individuals have been handed rigorous imprisonment for a three-year term for their involvement in smuggling leopard skins in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The convicted persons have been identified as Dambarudhar Majhi, hailing from Naktiguda under Tikiri police station, and Santosh Kumar Naik, a resident of Medri Sahi, Uditpurkhurigam, Kashipur in the district.

The arrests were made by Special Task Force (STF) personnel on May 24, 2023, during a raid conducted along the Rayagada-Koraput National Highway 326 near Siriguda Swargadham Chhak of Rayagada town. The raid resulted in the seizure of three leopard skins from the possession of the accused.

Following thorough investigations, the STF filed a charge sheet against the two wildlife smugglers in court on July 26, 2023. Subsequently, after due proceedings, the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Rayagada convicted Dambarudhar and Santosh. The court handed down a sentence of rigorous imprisonment for three years to each of them, in addition to imposing a fine of Rs 10,000.