Guwahati: Wanted Rhino poacher and horn smuggler Saidul Islam killed by drowning in Brahmaputra River while trying to escape from police custody. His body was found on April 16 after he jumped into the Brahmaputra on April 14 while conducting a search operation by a police team.
In a breakthrough in the rhino poaching case in Bagori Forest Range, Kaziranga, reported on March 26, 2023, Special Task Force (STF) Assam and Nagaon Police have recovered the rhino horn, which is suspected of having been poached during the incident.
Based on credible source information from Dhrubajyoti Nath, Additional SP, STF Kaziranga, regarding a group of poachers trying to sell a rhino horn, the Nagaon Police and STF Assam swung into action.
Accordingly, a trap was laid at the Batadrava area in the Nagaon district on April 14.
As a result, one of the persons in the rhino poachers’ gang, namely Saidul Islam (38 years), was caught red-handed with a rhino horn in his possession which was duly seized. After the arrest search was conducted, following which one four-wheeler car, three motorcycles, Cash Rs 50,000 and one mobile handset were recovered and seized by the police team. Forest officials were consulted, and it was ascertained that the seized rhino horn was original.
Further, technical analysis of the rhino horn was conducted by scientists of CWRC, Kaziranga, who confirmed that the rhino horn is original and fresh.
On interrogating the apprehended poacher, it was learnt that a .303 rifle used to poach the rhino at Bagori range in Kaziranga was hidden at Saiful Tapu area on the bank of Brahmaputra.
Accordingly, a team of Nagaon Police, STF Assam, and Forest officials took the arrested poacher to the PO to search for the weapon and reconstruct the crime scene. However, when the team reached the Brahmaputra River, the apprehended accused person jumped and fled away under cover of darkness. But the body of poacher Saidul Islam was found by police on April 16 and identified by his family on April 17.
On the other hand, the Government of Assam has decided to deploy a Forest battalion and many foresters from May 10 to strengthen security and speed up anti-poaching measures in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 15 said, “We will deploy one Forest battalion and many foresters on May 10. Today I visited the park and inspected how to increase manpower deployment in Kaziranga scientifically.
“I visited the area where one rhino was poached on March 26 2023, and the areas where there is no forest camp,” he said.
It should be mentioned that not a single case of rhino poaching was reported in Kaziranga National Park in the year 2022 after 21 long years. But the poaching of a sub-adult rhino on March 26, just ahead of President Droupadi Murmu’s visit to the world heritage site, made the State Government uncomfortable.
Assam CM visited the park on April 16. Next week he will revisit it with the Director General of Police. A detailed security discussion will be held with the police and forest department to ensure a watertight security system before the flood season.
