The man's aides had also been arrested for smuggling. (Representational)

A rare leopard skin, with the coat pattern comprising straight streaks rather than the usual jagged spots, has been seized from the home of an alleged poacher in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, the police said today.

The leopard skin was recovered on Thursday after officials raided the man's home.

"The skin belongs to a rare leopard which is found only in the Western Ghats. Normally, the coat pattern changes as per the pigment melanin. Excess of it gives the skin a black color," an official explained.

The man was arrested and produced in court. Four of his aides had been arrested for allegedly smuggling animal skin in November last year.