The Rachakonda Police arrested 17 people including four poachers on Tuesday, for allegedly killing a leopard and trying to sell its skin.
According to reports, poachers had killed the leopard in the forest area of Telangana's Nirmal district, and police took help from officials of the Forest Department, to nab the accused.
PTI reported that chief accused Kanaka Anil, along with Srinivas, Jyothiram and Jaggaram, all residents of Nirmal district, were habituated to poaching wild boar and deer in the forest areas of Uddampur and Birsaipet.
However, unsatisfied with this, they made a plan to kill larger animals and sell their skin.
Explaining their modus operandi to the media, Rachakonda Commissioner Mohan Bhagwat said, "As per their plan, they procured wire and sticks and other incriminating material and went to the forest of Birsaipet and laid a wire fencing around a water pond where wild animals come for drinking water and connected it to the electrical wire by putting hooks. In the process, one leopard got electrocuted and they skinned the animal and later they informed the other accused for selling its skin."
Following this, they were looking for potential customers over the past three months, seeking to sell the skin for Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh.
Six of the accused were nabbed by the police as they were transporting the skin to Hyderabad, in a car.
Following their confessions, the police arrested others who were involved in the crime. All the accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code and the Wildlife Protection Act, police said.
The police added that an investigation has been initiated.
Seventeen persons held for involving in killing and selling of leopard skin and seized one swift car, two knives and mobile phones pic.twitter.com/oEZ6JdZAiG
— Rachakonda Police (@RachakondaCop) July 11, 2017
Seventeen persons held for involving in killing and selling of leopard skin and seized one swift car, two knives and mobile phones pic.twitter.com/IzPaLFWeSn
— Rachakonda Police (@RachakondaCop) July 11, 2017
Seventeen persons held for involving in killing and selling of leopard skin and seized one swift car, two knives and mobile phones pic.twitter.com/FIEV8ZWrBg
— Rachakonda Police (@RachakondaCop) July 11, 2017