A 35-year-old man was on Saturday sentenced to three years in jail by a court in Odisha’s Nayagarh district.

The Judicial Magistrate Court (First Class) has sentenced an accused to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10,000 for the commission of an offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

In default of payment, the accused would undergo rigorous imprisonment for six months more.

The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Crime Branch apprehended the accused, Bhagabat Majhi, 35, on December 4, 2022, near Kunaria Dam under Dasapalla police station of Nayagarh district and seized two illegal leopard hides, one small deer skin, one small salia patini skin, 115 pieces of pangolin scales and two tusks of wild boar from his possession. Later the seized leopard skins were also sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, for biological chemical examination.

“This is the fourth case where the accused persons were convicted under the Act. Offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act is also one of the focus areas of STF and it will continue its drive against such illegal wildlife poachers or dealers,” a release said.