One arrested with leopard skin in Siliguri

Siliguri: A person was arrested by the Forest Department with a leopard skin during a late-night operation at Matigara More in Siliguri.

According to sources, acting on specific intelligence, a team from the Darjeeling Wildlife Division conducted a raid on Saturday night at the Matigara More area near the bus stand along National Highway-10. The operation was led by Sukna Range Officer Deepak Rasaily.

During the raid, forest officials detained a suspicious individual in the area. Upon conducting a search, they recovered a leopard skin from his possession, following which he was immediately taken into custody. The accused is a resident of Siliguri under the Pradhan Nagar Police Station. However, the Forest Department has declined to disclose the name of the accused for the sake of the investigation. Preliminary investigation suggests that the leopard skin was being trafficked with the intention of smuggling it into Nepal. On Sunday, the accused was produced before at the ACJM court in Kurseong. Further investigation is going on.