Koraput: A leopard skin seized from an alleged wildlife trafficker by a directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) team from Gujarat was handed over to the forest department in Jeypore on Tuesday, following which officials arrested Bibhuti Bhusan Patra (44) of Jeypore, forest officials said.According to officials, the DRI team intercepted Patra on the outskirts of Jeypore and seized the skin from him before handing it over for further investigation. Officials seized a blue-coloured bag allegedly used to carry the skin, a four-wheeler and a mobile phone. The skin measures around 141 cm from the nose to the base of the tail, with the tail measuring about 98 cm and its maximum width around 34 cm. A distinctive hole on the right side of the neck was noticed during preliminary exam, officials said.“We will investigate both the backward and forward linkages of the wildlife trade. While we will ascertain where the leopard skin was procured from, we will also investigate its intended destination and identify others involved in the racket,” said Jeypore DFO Prasant Patel. According to Patel, the department is probing where and when the leopard was killed and how the skin came into the possession of the accused. “Further examination of the seized skin would be carried out as part of the investigation,” Patel said.