In a joint operation by Nagpur and Bhandara teams, forestmen arrested one person and seized body parts of a leopard at Sawali village in Paoni Forest Range in Bhandara district on Wednesday.
On a tip-off about smuggling of body parts of a leopard at Sawali, forestmen laid a trap and arrested one accused Rangnath Shankar Maathere (35) from Torgaon in Brahmapuri tehsil in Chandrapur district. They also seized 21 pieces of whiskers, 13 nails and 12 canines.
The forestmen registered an offence under relevant sections of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. N G Chandewar, Yashwant Nagulwar, Saket Shende, Asstt Conservators of Forest, Lahu Thokal, Komal Jadhav, both Range Forest Officers, Nilesh Tawle, Sudhir Shende, Ganesh Jadhav, Dinesh Padval and others took the action under the guidance of Surendra Wadhai, Chief Conservator of Forest, and Dr Bharat Singh Hada, Kulraj Singh, both Deputy Conservators of Forest.