2 held with leopard skin in Kandhamal

Berhampur: Acting on a tip-off, forest officials on Saturday arrested two persons and seized a leopard skin at Khajuripada under Phulbani forest range in Kandhamal district.
The accused persons were identified as Jashobant Kanhar (28) and Alok Kanhar (20). They are from Pakhal Khia village under Chakapad police station limits. “Besides the leopard skin, which was 180cm-long and 36cm in width, a motorcycle was also seized from the duo’s possession,” Prasant Kumar Patel, divisional forest officer of Phulbani, said.
Forest officials suspected the skin was processed after the leopard was killed around three months ago. “We are now investigating into the hunting of the leopard,” Malaya Ranjan Kalo, assistant conservator of forests in Phulbani, said.