A joint team of forest, police and revenue officials rescued several birds and wild animals caged in an ashram at Souraguda under Jeypore Sadar Police limits Odisha's Koraput district today.
Forest range officer (Jeypore) Bhaskar Rao said the wild animals were rescued following a raid on the ashram of one identified as Toofan Mohanty alias Toofan baba.
Though there was no complaint against Mohanty with the police, local people have been alleging that the self-declared baba illegally detains wild animals, practice sorcery and creates an unhealthy environment in the area.
Forest officials recovered as many as three civet cat, four numbers of bush quails, as many as two wild pig, two porcupines, one money, one barking deer and at least seven elk horns.
"At the time of raid Mohanty was absent. A case has been registered and investigation is on," said forest range officer (Jeypore) Bhaskar Rao.
