Guwahati: Karbi-Anglong police on Wednesday arrested 3 persons who have admitted to their involvement in the poaching of rhinos in the protected Kaziranga National Park. The trio has also been accused of intimidating locals of Habi Rongphar village under Dolamara Police Station.
On May 21, with the lockdown to contain the coronavirus on in full swing, a certain Rameswar Rongphor of village Habi Rongphor lodged an FIR in the Dolamara Polica Station. A few days prior on May 16, 7 thugs equipped with arms and ammunition entered their village and started beating up the persons with gun butts and bamboo sticks.
The miscreants again re-entered the village on May 27 and fired 20 rounds to threaten the villagers. They later took away rice, pulses, and livestock for the villagers' houses by force. In this connection a case (No. 4/2020 U/S 325/370/386 IPC R/W Sec 27 Arms Act) was registered in the Dolamara Police Station and police have been successful in nabbing 3 of the accused.
The arrested accused have been identified as David Siama alias Samboi from Churachandpur in Manipur, and Biki Thapa and Simon Lakra of Napani from Nagaon in Assam.
An AK 81 rifle, a DBBL, 2 AK 56 rifles, and ammunition have been recovered from the miscreants. During interrogation, the arrested accused also confessed that they were involved in the last rhino poaching case in Kaziranga National Park (Bokakhat PS Case No. 131/2020).
Meanwhile, three poachers from Churachandpur who were directly involved -- Johnthang alias Thangboi, Muamuan Paite alias Oversize, and Ngaminlun Kuki alias Lulun remain at large and efforts are on to recover to the horn.