Poacher arrested with arms

India: Forest officials of the Northern range of Kaziranga National Park have arrested a poacher involved in last week's rhino killing, recovered the horn and seized the arms and ammunition allegedly used in the incident.

A 20-year-old male rhino was killed by poachers at Polokata Tapu in the sixth addition of Kaziranga in Biswanath district on February 10.

Range officer Pranjal Baruah said Nur Haque was arrested from his house at Borjharoni in Sonitpur district on Thursday during a joint operation, led by Biswnath additional superintendent of police Jayanta Sarathi Bora, deputy superintendent of police Debojit Nath, Baruah, and CRPF in-charge Luku Ranjan along with officers of Ginjia police station.

Baruah said Haque had confessed that the arms and ammunition were hidden in a paddy field behind his house. A .303 rifle, 23 rounds of ammunition, a silencer and a magazine were recovered.

Baruah said Haque was involved in poaching and smuggling wildlife items. He said there were three earlier cases registered against him in different police stations, including Ginjia.

During interrogation, Haque said the male rhino was translocated to Biswanath and killed in an open area with the hope that the government would transfer the range officer so that poachers can strike easily.

Search is on for another person who is suspected to have taken the horn after killing the rhino, Baruah said.

(Source: The Telegraph)