Armed poacher shot dead in Kaziranga standoff; security operation continue
Officials said the ongoing operations in the national park will continue until the park is cleared of any remaining threats
Guwahati, May 21: An armed poacher was killed by security personnel on Wednesday afternoon during a standoff near the Duramari Anti-Poaching Camp (APC) in Kaziranga National Park’s Agaratoli range.
The shootout occurred around 12.45 pm after forest authorities received intelligence about the movement of armed intruders inside the national park.
In response, security teams swiftly activated anti-poaching camps and commando action groups, cordoning off exit routes and launching a combing operation.
“One armed suspect was neutralised during the operation. Further search efforts are underway to apprehend his accomplices,” the forest department said in a statement, adding that police and civil magistrate teams are assisting the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division as per protocol.
Kaziranga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is home to the world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, making it a frequent target of poaching syndicates.
The killing follows a series of poaching-related crackdowns in the state in recent times.
On May 9, forest officials in Assam’s Behali Wildlife Sanctuary arrested a suspected poacher from Arunachal Pradesh.
Nabam Naga was apprehended near the Dikal Beat with a country-made rifle after a routine patrol spotted suspicious movement.
Security agencies have long warned of the nexus between poachers and insurgent groups. In January, then-special DGP Harmeet Singh and Special Task Force Chief Partha Sarathi Mahanta revealed that wildlife traffickers are often linked with terrorist networks operating across the region.
“Shooters from Manipur and Nagaland are often roped in. Rhino horns are trafficked via Myanmar to international markets, with proceeds funding extremist activities,” Singh had said.
Between March 2023 and December 2024, Assam Police arrested six poachers and recovered a haul of animal parts, including two rhino horns.
In a 2024 crackdown at Orang National Park, four armed poaching suspects were arrested with weapons, underscoring the sophisticated and militarised nature of wildlife crime in Assam.
Meanwhile, officials have reiterated that the ongoing operations in Kaziranga will continue until the park is cleared of any remaining threats.