Overview
- Forest officials said the men were caught after allegedly trying to sell 13 leopard nails in Ootla, Dandepalli mandal.
- The suspects — Modte Venkatesh, Modte Srinivas, and Vanaparthi Srikanth — admitted to killing the leopard with a snare made from two-wheeler clutch wires and burning the carcass.
- A special team of forest officers working with a veterinary doctor confirmed the animal as a leopard following extended questioning late Saturday.
- Officers sealed the village from four directions and deployed a sniffer dog named Cheetah to trace the accused after a tip-off.
- Authorities said the killing occurred on the outskirts of Ootla a few weeks ago, and the probe is exploring links to prior teak-smuggling cases.