39 panther skins seized in Haryana
By IANSTuesday, May 25, 2010
PANCHKULA - Thirty-nine panther skins have been seized from a village in Haryana’s Panchkula district, officials said here Tuesday. Two people were arrested from the spot.
A team of forest and wildlife department conducted a raid at Bhairon ki Ser village in Panchkula district near Chandigarh after a tip-off late Monday.
“We laid a trap, along with the local police, and seized the skins of 39 panthers. Police have arrested two accused while six others fled,” R.K. Sharma, divisional wildlife officer, said here.
The arrested accused, Surjan and Vairmaila, were booked under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.
They told the police that the seized skins were not original and were of bulls and cows.
“The skins will be sent to a laboratory at Dehradun to ascertain their authenticity. The culprits purchased the skins from different towns of Punjab,” Sharma said.
