Darrang police bust interstate rhino poaching gang, 4 jailed

Mangaldai, Oct 29: The Darrang police successfully averted a well-made plan of a gang of inter-state poachers to kill a rhino in the Orang National Park and Tiger Reserve on the night of the forthcoming festival of Diwali.

Police sources here said that acting on the basis of specific input under the instructions of Darrang Superintendent of Police Prakash Sonowal, a police team from the Dalgaon Police Station led by its officer in-charge, inspector Tanmoy Nath, on Saturday night nabbed one Abdul Ali (52), his son Ali Hussain (21)-both residents of Kacharibhetitop village under the Orang Police Station in Udalguri district-and then Azgar Ali (41) of no.1 Kacharibhetitop village under the Dalgaon Police Station.

Their interrogation then led to the recovery of a .303 rifle, a rifle barrel, and an iron silencer pipe hidden in a pond in the house and campus, respectively, of Abdul Ali. The trio confessed before the police that the arms were brought from Nagaland a couple of days ago as a part of the plan of rhino poaching in the National Park with the help of their counterparts of the neighbouring state.

The poachers were remanded to judicial custody on Sunday after being booked under the Arms Act, 1959.

In the same operation, the police also arrested one Khalilur Rahman (54) from Khajuabeel village under the Rowta Police Station in Udalguri district, against whom a case under the Arms Act is already pending in the Dalgaon Police Station. He, too, was later remanded to judicial custody.