Bhubaneswar, April 4: The Special Task force (STF) of Crime Branch today busted a gang of animal hide smugglers and arrested two persons. The officials also seized a leopard hide from their possesion.

The team came to know that a poacher  was in  search of a customer to sell out a leopard hide. Tactfully, the intelligence wing of STF acted as a customer and finalised the deal for Rs 4 lakh. Accordingly, the poacher came to Khordha to sell out the leopard hide.

However, the STF team in disguise nabbed the poacher. Later, the team arrested the smuggler who  used to receive hide from the poacher.

STF has not disclosed the name of the errant peddlers to crack the whole interstate racket. However, they belong to Nayagarh, said an STF official.