Officers of the Assam police joined forces with foresters posted at the Panbari reserve forest near the Kaziranga National Park on Saturday to nab three suspected poachers. Not only did the team nab the three—identified as Dhansing Goyari (25), Ashok Brahma (27), and Bergo Musahari (40)—but it also discovered a large cache of animal body parts and some weapons, including firearms. The operation took place in Chirang district of Assam.
Officers of the Panbari forest range confirmed the arrests. “They killed deer and some other wild animals and were heading towards an illegal market to sell the parts,” one of the officers told the Hindustan Times newspaper.
According to Chirang District Superintendent of Police Pranjit Bora, his team was tipped off by foresters about the presence of the suspects. He said “two firearms, four machetes, and some other hunting material” were recovered from the suspects. “Two cases have been registered against the men, one by the forest department under the Wildlife Protection Act and another [by the state police] under the Arms Act, 1959,” Bora told the newspaper.
The police suspect the involvement of a larger gang in the operation. Bora said the investigation will continue to try and identify them.
