Duo held with leopard skin worth Rs18 lakh

Mumbai: The Thane crime branch arrested two persons with leopard skin worth Rs18 lakh when they had come to sell the skin at Wagle Estate.

The officials of unit V said that the accused allegedly smuggled the seized leopard skin from Karnataka.

The duo was identified as Rajesh Arora (44), a resident of Mulund Colony, and Manoj Aagimani alias Moja (30), a resident of Dharwad’s Tumrikappa.

The police had received specific information on the alleged sale of the leopard skin following which they laid a trap near the Kamgar Hospital and arrested the duo.

The team of unit V detained the duo after their identities were ascertained and upon checking of their handbags, the leopard skin was found stuffed inside, police said.

The accused are being questioned on the source of the seized skin and a probe is underway to ascertain if the accused were also involved in the killing of the leopard.

The forest department has been informed about the seizure and they are also investigating the incident from their end to find out leopard from which forest was killed and skinned.

The police has registered a case against the duo under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and they are being questioned further to find out the identity of the buyer who was to take the delivery of the skin from them.

They were produced in a local court and have been remanded in police custody for further investigation in the case.