Forest Dept nab two persons with leopard pelt

The forest department and special operation group (SOG) nabbed two wildlife criminals and seized a leopard pelt from them. The duo was nabbed when they were attempting to sell the leopard pelt.

Sub divisional forest officer Navin Chandra Pant said that the department had received a tip off about some criminals attempting to sell a leopard pelt. Putting up dummy customers, the department managed to get the duo to Haldwani.The forest department and police jointly nabbed the two in the Banbhoolpura police station area. The duo had sourced the leopard pelt from Chamoli. The pelt is stated to be that of an adult big cat. During police questioning, the two identified themselves as Mahabir Singh and Hayat Singh, both residents of Chamoli district. The two have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act. The police are questioning the duo trying to establish various aspects of the case including the exact location from where the leopard pelt was sourced.