Ahmedabad, Jan 26 Acting on specific intelligence inputs from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and CID (Crime), Gujarat, DRI officers in Ahmedabad dismantled an organised wildlife trafficking network in the Rajsamand district of Rajasthan.
The operation led to the seizure of two leopard skins and 18 leopard claws, with five individuals involved in the illicit trade arrested. The confiscated items have been handed over to the Rajasthan Forest Department for further investigation under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972.
Leopards are listed under Schedule I of the Act, granting them full protection and strictly prohibiting the sale, purchase, trade, or possession of their parts, including skins and claws.
Based on inputs, it was discovered that a gang based in Rajasthan was attempting to trade leopard skins in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act. Acting swiftly, DRI officials kept the suspects under covert surveillance and executed a well-timed operation.
Four individuals from the gang, identified as brokers and sellers, were apprehended, and one leopard skin along with 18 leopard claws was seized during the initial raid.
During interrogation, the arrested individuals provided crucial leads about another illegal trade in leopard skins, approximately 30 kilometres away in a forested area.
The DRI team utilised one of the detainees to lure a second group of traffickers to a specific location. The subsequent operation was fraught with challenges as a gathering of locals attempted to obstruct the officials.
Between 2001 and 2010, studies estimated that approximately four leopards were poached each week in India, totalling over 2,000 individuals during that period.
Data from the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) indicates that from 1994 to 2016, there were numerous documented cases of leopard poaching and seizures, though these figures likely represent only a fraction of the actual illegal activity.
Close to 90 per cent of reported leopard part seizures in India consisted solely of skins, making them the dominant body part found in illegal trade.
Leopard parts are often smuggled through well-established networks, with skins being rough-cured in the field, handed over to dealers, and then transported to tanneries. From there, they are smuggled to markets outside India, primarily in China.
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