Rhino poachers arrested

The poachers were nabbed by police near Agratoli Range of the Park during the last two days, police said today.

A .22 rifle and a bottle of suspected tranquiliser used on the rhinos were recovered from them.

A local court before which they were produced, has remanded them to judicial custody.

The suspected tranquiliser bottle was sent to the Forensic Laboratory in Guwahati for ascertaining the contents, police said.

Earlier on October 30, 18 members of the gang led by one Lyndoh Rongpi were also arrested with a huge amount of arms and ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle.

The 18 member gang, responsible for killing of rhinos and elephants during 2009 and 2012 in the vicinity of KNP, were nabbed from Karbi Anglong.

Based on their confesstion, two other members were arrested with arms and ammunition from Bokakhat of Golaghat district by police from Karbi Anglong with the help of the neighbouring district police.

The arrested poachers also gave details about the whereabouts of two more of their gang members leading to their arrest in the Agratoli area during the last two days, the sources added.

So far 44 rhinos have died naturally or due to floods in Assam this year, 19 have been killed by poachers at Kaziranga in Golaghat district, while another strayed out and died in Nalbari district.