Bhubaneswar, Feb 17: Two wildlife criminals, Dambrudhar Majhi and Santosh Kumar Naik, have been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for smuggling leopard skin by a court in Rayagada. Along with the imprisonment, the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them.

Dambrudhar Majhi hails from Naktiguda, Rayagada, while Santosh Kumar Naik is a resident of Medri Sahi, Kashipur, in the same district. They were found guilty under section 379/411/120 (B) IPC r.w. 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

The duo was apprehended by the Special Task Force (STF) on Rayagada-Koraput NH-326 near Siriguda Swargadham Chhaka in Rayagada in May 2023, along with three illegal leopard hides.

Further investigation led to the examination of the seized leopard hides at the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Following a successful investigation, the charge sheet was submitted on July 26, 2023.

This case stands out as the fastest trial for any case investigated by the STF in Odisha.

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