DRI busts bid to sell leopard skin in Surat, 2 held

Surat: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Monday apprehended two men after recovering a leopard skin allegedly being offered for sale from a hotel near Surat railway station. Officials said the accused were allegedly expecting more than Rs 50 lakh for the wildlife article.

The accused were identified as Moini Hunaid (46) and Badri Sabbir (47), both residents of the Zampa Bazaar area. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, DRI officials raided Hotel Alankar and recovered the leopard skin from a room where Hussain was present.

During questioning, Hussain allegedly told investigators that he had obtained the skin from Abbas. Officials said neither of the accused could produce documents establishing lawful possession of the leopard skin.

The case was subsequently handed over to the forest department as it falls under the Wildlife Protection Act. The department registered a first offence report against the duo under relevant provisions of the Act.

Preliminary examination suggested that the seized article is genuine leopard skin, officials said. Samples of the recovered skin will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, for forensic verification.

According to investigators, the accused were allegedly attempting to sell the protected wildlife material and were searching for prospective buyers when the intelligence-based operation was conducted.

During the inquiry, Abbas allegedly told forest officials that the skin had been found at his residence and had been in his father’s possession for several years. However, officials said he failed to furnish documents supporting legal possession or inheritance of the wildlife article.

Both accused were produced before a court and later granted bail. Authorities are now probing the source of the leopard skin and examining whether the case has links to a wider wildlife trafficking network. Efforts are also underway to identify possible buyers and trace the chain of illegal possession and attempted sale.