Two poachers arrested with arms and ammunition

From our Correspondent

MANGALDAI, June 28: Repeating the history in Orang tiol Park (ONP) for the second time, a team of Darrang Police in a significant achievement, recovered one AK 56 rifle and 47 rounds of live ammunitions, one .303 rifle with 21 rounds of live ammunitions, one specially made silencer and some other incrimiting materials and arrested two persons, including a hardcore poacher who was arrested earlier for his involvement in poaching. The arrested poachers are Mazibar Rahman and Jakir Hussain, both of village lbari adjacent to the Park under Dalgaon Police station.

Disclosing this at a press meet, Darrang Superintendent of Police Sreejith Thiraviam informed the media persons that acting on a tip-off, a team of Darrang Police led by Additiol Superintendent of Police Suman Chakraborty apprehended both the poachers on Tuesday night  which led to the recovery of the arms and ammunitions from the house of one Tota Miya of village orasicha under the same police station. However, Tota Miya has since been absconding. Both the arrested poachers have also disclosed that they concealed the arms and ammunition in the backyard of Tota Miya’s house.

Though the investigation is going on, it has been suspected that the organized gang of armed poachers had purchased the arms and ammunitions from Dimapur in galand. The police have also been examining the nexus between the gang of poachers and the fundamental militants. Officer in-charge of Dhula Police Station, Sub Inspector Ranjit Hazarika and In-charge of Silbori Police Outpost, Sub Inspector Premankur Hazarika also played a key role in the recovery of the arms and ammunitions and the arrest of both the poachers.

On June 22, the poachers had killed a full-grown rhino in broad daylight inside the Park and the Superintendent of Police Sreejith Thiraviam on that night gave an assurance before State Forest and Environment Minister Pramila Rani Brahma to arrest the poachers within a week. Accordingly, the police within only six days of the killing of the rhino, successfully arrested two poachers and made the significant recovery. The Superintendent of Police also informed the media persons that till date in 2017, the armed gang of poachers have so far killed two rhinos in ONP while police have arrested 17 poachers, recovered one AK 56 rifle with 47 rounds of ammunitions, four  .303 rifles with 59 rounds of ammunitions from the gang of poachers.

On September 13, 2008,  a joint team of Wildlife staff and police led by the then Divisiol Forest Officer of Mangaldai Wildlife Division, Sukumar Momin successfully recovered one AK 47 rifle from a poacher at Dhekiajuli in Sonitpur district. The arrested poacher was identified as one Arjun Chetry alias Bhai (25), son of Bhim Bahadur Chetry of Ao Basti under Nokhuti police station of Dimapur in galand who was a hardcore militant of Gorkha Liberation Army (GLA) involved in the killing of a village headman in Missamri in Sonitpur district. Besides, the AK 47 rifle and 25 rounds of ammunition with two magazines, one Italy-made sophisticated pistol of 7.65 mm along with six rounds of ammunitions and one loaded magazine were also recovered from his possession.