Shimla, Jun 16 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh Police have seized the skin of an adult leopard in Solan town and arrested a person in connection with the case before he could escape from the state, Director General of Police (DGP), Sanjay Kundu, said here on Wednesday.

Kundu said the accused was about to reach the inter-state barrier near Parwanoo on Tuesday when he was caught red-handed with the leopard skin concealed in his bag.

The officer said that since January this year, the police have arrested 22 persons under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

They were involved in 16 cases of unlawfully detaining, killing and smuggling of wildlife of different species, including leopards, sambars, cobras and lizards.

On June 6, the police had seized three leopard skins, teeth and nails from a shop in New Shimla and arrested three persons in connection with the case.

The police had also recovered three leopard skins from Dehra in Kangra district on February 17.

In their pursuit of protecting the wildlife, the DGP said the police are keeping continuous vigil and taking strict action against the perpetrators of the crime.