ITANAGAR, Jun 16: A broker and close associate of rhino poachers in the Kaziranga National Park was nabbed from here by a joint team of the Capital unit police and Assam Forest officials, Eastern Range, Kaziranga National Park & World Heritage Site, on Saturday.
Rijen Pegu (30 years), who was residing at Gandhi Market here, was apprehended by a police team led by SI N Nishant, for allegedly poaching a horned rhinoceros and for being instrumental in smuggling the horn in the international market.
Capital SP Tumme Amo informed that a team from the Kaziranga National Park had approached the SP on Friday regarding the case, and a team led by SI N Nishant was immediately constituted.
As per reports, the rhino was killed about a week earlier, and the horn removed.
“The arrested accused, along with his older brother, allegedly tried to sell the horn to a middle man. However, since the deal could not materialize, they took the horn back and returned about a week later and sold it to a middle man,” the SP informed.
Reportedly, the horn has already been smuggled out of India.
A few mobile sets and various incriminating documents and records have been recovered from the arrested person who
has been handed over to the Kaziranga National Park Eastern Forest Range, Assam on transit remand issued by the court, the SP said, adding: “The involvement of some local youths cannot be ruled out in the instant case.”
Meanwhile, the Assam Forest department has appreciated the Arunachal Pradesh Police for the swift action taken in nabbing the accused.
