Police in Assam have arrested suspects from two rhino horn trafficking gangs, believed to be responsible for killing rhinos in Kaziranga National Park.
Most of the suspects are from the Karbi Anglong district. Gang leader Lyngdoh Rongpi was arrested in the Jamelangshu hills, and his accomplices (perhaps as many as 17) were later arrested at a Bokolia village, according to The Hindu.
An axe, one AK-47 rifle, 37 rounds of ammunition, two .303 rifles, and one gun were seized from the suspects.
The Times of India reports that seven people were arrested in the Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts. The suspects were identified as Rajen Ingti, B Jangkha, Sona Dey, Tenjit Terang, Suren Gupta, Babu Timung, and Robin Ronghang. The gang was allegedly making a rhino horn deal with the leader of the Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers (KPLT), a militant group.
In response to the killing of at least 17 rhinos in Assam this year, the government distributed 200 self-loading rifles to the forest guards in Kaziranga National Park, along with deploying an additional 100 forest guards.
Image: iStockphoto.com
Rhishja Cota
I am the founder of Annamiticus and I have been researching and writing about wildlife trafficking issues since 2009. I also founded World Pangolin Day in 2012. I am the author of USAID Wildlife Asia's Pangolin Species Identification Guide: A Rapid Assessment Tool for Field and Desk. I co-facilitated and was a presenter at the USAID Wildlife Asia Pangolin Care Workshop. At the 4th Regional Dialogue on Combating Trafficking of Wild Fauna and Flora, I facilitated the species roundtables on pangolins. I have trekked with forest rangers in Cambodia, journeyed to the streets of Hanoi to research the illegal wildlife trade, and to the rainforests of Sumatra and Java to document the world’s rarest rhinos. At CITES meetings, I collaborate with colleagues from around the world to lobby in favor of protecting endangered species. I hosted the Behind the Schemes podcast and am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine. I enjoy music, desert gardening, herping, reading, creating, and walking with my dogs. Check out my t-shirts and stickers at snoots + teefers.