A man was apprehended for possessing leopard skin in Haryana's Ballabhgarh by a joint team of forest and police officials, the Wildlife SOS said. The raid was conducted last night on the basis of an information gathered by the wildlife conservation organisation, they said. The man, identified as Ram Das, was apprehended by the police and forest officials. He is currently under police custody and the matter is being investigated further, a Wildlife SOS statement said. The joint team, including members of the Wildlife SOS, local police and forest officials, raided the premises of Ram Das and seized the leopard skin from under his bed, the statement said. "During interrogation, Ram Das confessed to having acquired the leopard skin through a middle-man. He has been booked under the relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972," it said. Authorities are investigating the matter further to track down the middle-man.
The confiscated leopard skin measures 73 inches in length and 36 inches across, and is now evidence in this matter. "The leopard skin appears to be around 4 to 5 years old. We have filed an FIR against the accused and hope to find further linkages to this case on investigation," Vinod Kumar, Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), said. Poaching or possession of the protected wildlife species is a punishable offence. If convicted, the person could be imprisoned for up to seven years, Kartick Satyanarayan, co- founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said.
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