The Special Task Force (STF) wing of Odisha police on Thursday rescued a live pangolin and arrested a wildlife smuggler in the Bargarh district.

The accused person identified as Jagat Thela was apprehended near the Khansumen Devi temple, Negipalli under the Bheden police station jurisdiction of Bargarh on Tuesday. He was nabbed while carrying out a deal to sell the protected animal, said STF officials.

With the latest interception of wildlife crime, the STF has made recovery of nine live pangolins during separate raids in different places of the State in the past one year.

The wild animal, a schedule-1 animal under the wildlife protection act and highly endangered species, is accorded the highest protection under the law. The accused person was later remanded to judicial custody under Sections-9, 39, and 49 (B) of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

During the last year, STF in a special drive against wildlife criminals has made a seizure of as many as 22 leopard skins, 12 elephant tusks, seven deer skins, 9 live pangolins, and 15 kg pangolin scales. A total of 52 wildlife criminals have been remanded to judicial custody this year.