KALKA, June 23 — Over a year after forest officials recovered four boiled leopard paws from a hut in Bhairon Colony, Anguri Devi, the prime accused in the wildlife trafficking case, was arrested on Saturday from Vasudevpura Market, police confirmed.
The case originated on May 10, 2024, when the Haryana Forest Department received a confidential tip-off about suspected leopard body parts being kept in a slum area in Rambagh. Acting swiftly, a team raided Anguri Devi’s residence and discovered the animal remains. However, she managed to flee the scene at the time.
Due to the condition of the remains, immediate identification was not possible. The seized material was sent to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, on May 15, 2024, for forensic analysis. On April 23 this year, nearly eleven months later, WII confirmed that the remains belonged to a panther (leopard) — a Schedule-I species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Based on the forensic findings, an FIR was lodged at the Pinjore Police Station on May 5, 2025, under Sections 9, 39, and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. Anguri Devi was traced and arrested over a month later.
She was presented in court on Sunday, granted one-day police remand, and subsequently sent to judicial custody. Officials said further investigation is underway to determine the source of the leopard remains and whether the accused is part of a broader wildlife trafficking network.
“Leopards are a protected species, and possession of any part is a serious offence under Indian law,” a senior forest officer said, urging the public to report any suspicious wildlife activity.
