Assam Police recover rhino horn suspected to be from Kaziranga poaching incident

Guwahati, April 16: The Assam Police on April 15 recovered a rhino horn suspected to be from the poaching incident that took place on March 26 at Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. 

As per reports, the Special Task Force (STF), Assam and Nagaon Police recovered the horn from the Bagori range of the Kaziranga National Park. Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh in a tweet informed that the recovered horn was a fresh one and is suspected to be from the recent poaching incident.

On the basis of information regarding the smuggling of the horn, a trap was laid by the STF and Nagaon Police following which the horn was recovered, said reports. 

Singh further stated that the poacher/seller escaped police custody and jumped into river Brahmaputra while showing the place of poaching. A team has been formed to track down the poacher and bring him to justice. 

Sharing details of the recovery, Nagaon Police said in a Facebook post that the STF had recieved information regarding a group of poachers trying to sell a rhino horn. The STF and Nagaon Police immediately laid a trap in Batadrava area on Friday. One Saidul Islam was caught with a rhino horn by the joint team the same day, Nagaon Police said.

Based on the information provided during interrogation, three motorcycles, Rs 50,000 in cash and one mobile phone were recovered. Islam also claimed that a .303 rifle used to kill the rhino was hidden at Saiful Tapu, under Bagori range of the Kaziranga National Park. A team of Nagaon Police and STF, along with forest officials, took the person to the location to search for the weapon and to reconstruct the crime. “However, when the team reached the Brahmaputra river, the person under the cover of darkness jumped into the river and fled away. Necessary search operations are on to re-apprehend the accused,” Nagaon Police said. 

An inquiry has been ordered into the incident leading to the escape, the DGP said.