Two poachers, alleged to have been involved in the killing and illegal smuggling of one-horned rhinoceros parts from the Kaziranga National Park, were arrested by a team of Forest Department officials from Assam in Coonoor. They were assisted by personnel from the Tamil Nadu forest department.
The two poachers, A Mohammed Maqbal Ali (24), and M Mohammed Noor Qasim (33), alleged to be illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in Assam, were hiding out in Coonoor. A joint-operation conducted by the Assam and Tamil Nadu Forest departments finally managed to trace the two suspects after a three-day operation. K Periyasamy, the Forest Range Officer, Coonoor Range, and Saravana Kumar, Forest Ranger, Nilgiris North Division, assisted the team from Assam. DFO (Nilgiris North Division), S Kalanithi, said they were looking into whether the two had poached animals in Tamil Nadu.