Siliguri, 05th April: In a major operation, forest officials of the Darjeeling Wildlife Division busted an international wildlife trafficking racket on Saturday night and arrested a smuggler with leopard skin.
Reportedly, acting on a tip-off, a team of forest officials led by Deepak Rasaily conducted a raid at the bus stop area near Matigara More on Asian Highway-10 under the Sukna range. During the operation, an individual from Siliguri was apprehended and a leopard skin was recovered from his possession.
Preliminary investigations suggest that preparations were underway to smuggle the wildlife product into Nepal. The Forest Department has launched further investigations and is searching for other members of the suspected international network.
The arrested individual is scheduled to be produced before the Kurseong ACJM Court on Sunday.