Darjeeling court sentences two to two-year rigorous imprisonment for leopard skin smuggling

DARJEELING, :A court here sentenced Pranesh Subba and Anand Tamang, both from Ramji Basti in Jorebunglow,to undergo a rigorous imprisonment fortwo years each for dealing in leopard skin.

Darjeeling APP Pankaj Prasad said, “The CJM court ordered them forrigorous imprisonment for two years under Section 51 (1) of Wildlife Protection Act along with a fine of Rs. 25,000 each failing to pay which six months more will be added to their imprisonment.”

According to Prasad, the case dates to July 21, 2019 when the Singalila South Range Darjeeling Wildlife Division Range Officer got information that a dealing was being made on leopard skin.

“After getting information, they called Pranesh to Sukhia and following interrogation, the name of Anand also came forward. Both of them confessed that four months back they had set a trap and caught a leopard and killed it. They had further maintained that they had taken out the skin of the animal and buried it in the forest,” said Prasad.

The APP further added that the two culprits had taken the forest officials to the spot where they had buried the animal from where the carcass was recovered. He maintained that the skull and jaw of the animal was found at the spot along with the iron trap that had been used.

“After further interrogation, the leopard skin was also recovered from the house of Subba. A prosecution report was filed, and a trialstarted against them. Today the court found them guilty,” said Prasad.