A gang of seven poachers active in Kaziranga National Park were nabbed along with arms and ammunition from Bokakhat area of Golaghat district in upper Assam, police sources said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip off, police launched an operation and nabbed the poachers from their ring leader Dibyajyoti Doley’s residence at Palashguri village of Bokakhat on Monday night, the sources said.
Besides Mr. Doley, the other poachers have been identified as Pradip Pegu, Bisu Pegu, Bhabesh Pegu, Mohan Pegu, Atul Pegu and Jairam Mili.
Two 303 rifles with 8 rounds of live ammunition, one stengun with 6 rounds of ammunition, a silencer gun, three axes, four spears and food items were seized from them, the sources said.
Mr. Bisu Pegu was earlier convicted for poaching and was now out on bail, they said, adding, the six were planning fresh poaching activities to kill rhinos in Kaziranga National Park when they were nabbed.
This year around 13 rhinos have been killed by poachers in Kaziranga. Alarmed at the high rate of rhino killings the security forces and forest department has launched an operation against poachers.
Elephant carcass found
Meanwhile, carcass of a wild elephant was recovered from Kaziranga National Park in Upper Assam on Tuesday, Forest department sources said.
The pachyderm’s body was found at Baneswar, the additional area of the habitat of the one-horn Great Indian Rhinoceros, the sources said.
