Sonepur, August 13: The Sonepur Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate on Tuesday convicted two wildlife criminals under Section 51 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, and awarded two years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) with impose of a fine of Rs 10,000 on each.
The two convicts would further undergo six months of rigorous and one year of commission of offenses under Section 411 IPC if do not deposit the fine money.
According to the prosecution, the STF apprehended two persons on the road near Rajakothi (Mahanadi Bridge) in Odisha’s Sonepur district while they were proceeding towards Birmaharajpur from Sonepur.
During the search, one live pangolin and pangolin scales were recovered from their possession.
After a successful investigation, a charge sheet was submitted against the two accused under Section 379/411/120-B IPC r/w. 51 of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972.
During the trial, the prosecution examined seven witnesses and exhibited 30 documents.
