Seven Held with Leopard Hides in Similipal Wildlife Smuggling Bust

Bhubaneswar: In a major breakthrough in the fight against wildlife crime, forest officials detained seven individuals, including a school teacher, for their alleged involvement in a smuggling racket of wildlife parts in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, located in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.

Acting on specific intelligence, a joint team comprising field staff from the Baripada, Similipal South, and Balasore wildlife divisions launched a coordinated raid in the Khunta and Betnoti forest ranges on Tuesday. During the operation, the team seized three leopard hides — one from Khunta and two from Betnoti — and arrested the suspects while they were allegedly attempting to find buyers for the illegal items.

The detained individuals have been identified as Raisen Chapeyar (45), Shermashri Sooren (27), Champai Murmu (32), Amar Kumar Singh (40), Sunaram Hembram (59), Manaranjan Tipiria (48), and Guruprasad Patra (41). Authorities have stated that all seven are believed to be middlemen in a broader wildlife trafficking network.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the leopard hides, believed to be one to two years old, were sourced from within the Similipal reserve. The seized materials have been sent to the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar for forensic examination. The role of the school teacher from Betnoti remains under scrutiny, officials said.

“This was a well-planned operation based on field intelligence. All the detained individuals were caught red-handed while trying to sell the hides. We are now focusing on uncovering the larger network behind this smuggling racket,” said a senior forest official involved in the operation.

This crackdown comes on the heels of a similar enforcement drive last week, in which nine poachers were arrested and six country-made firearms seized from various parts of the reserve. That operation was supported by AI-integrated trail-guard cameras, installed across Similipal to strengthen surveillance and conservation efforts, particularly after the recent birth of three melanistic tiger cubs in the park.

Forest authorities have reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying monitoring and enforcement to curb wildlife crimes in and around Similipal — one of India’s most ecologically sensitive and protected tiger habitats.