Bhubaneswar, July 30 (Bureau) The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Kuchinda, has convicted a wildlife criminal for possessing leopard skin and sentenced him to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years with fine. On the day of International Tiger Day on Monday, the court convicted one Sankirtan Munda of Pahadamara, a village in Odisha’s Deogarh district, for a commission of offence under Section 411 IPC & U/S 51 the Wild Life (Protection) Act,1972. Sankirtan was apprehended by the STF of Odisha Police on February 15 last on Kuchinda-Bonaigarh road under Kuchinda Police Station. During the search operation, two leopard skins and other wildlife products were recovered from his possession, while the accused person and another were waiting there to deliver the same to a customer. After a successful investigation, a charge sheet was submitted against the accused persons under U/S. 379/411/120-B IPC r/w. 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
During the investigation, the seized leopard skins were also sent to the WildLife Institute of India, Dehradun, for biological and chemical examination, and an affirmative opinion was received. The trial was conducted against the accused person, and during the trial, the prosecution examined seven witnesses and exhibited eleven documents.It is the sixth STF case where the accused persons were convicted under the Wildlife Protection Act. Till date, trials have been completed in six wildlife cases, and all the cases ended in conviction.STF Odisha has taken special efforts to ensure that the investigation is of the highest standard and meticulously follows the prosecution in the courts so that the cases are brought to a logical conclusion or conviction. STF is the specialized wing of Odisha Police to curb organized crime as well as cases against wildlife in the state. STF got the power and authority to investigate wildlife cases in 2018. So far, STF has booked 101 cases and arrested 232 wild life criminals. So far, the STF has seized 59 leopard hides, 27 elephant tusks, 23 live pangolins, 42 kgs Pangolin Scales, two tiger hides, and 11 deer hides.