Assam: Poacher killed in gunfight with forest guards at Kaziranga National Park
Guwahati: A poacher, who intruded into Assam’s Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) in a poaching attempt, was killed in a fierce gun battle that broke out between a group of poachers and the forest guards in the wee hours of Saturday, May 11.
Based on intelligence inputs regarding alleged intruders trying to sneak into the famed park, the KNPTR authorities have further strengthened their patrolling and surveillance activities along its boundary, Field Director of KNPTR Sonali Ghosh said in a statement.
In continuation with the enhanced security measures, patrolling and surveillance parties were stationed along the border areas on Friday (May 10) by forest frontline teams from the Eastern Assam Wildlife Division and the Biswanath Wildlife Division, she said.
In the wee hours of Saturday, a patrolling party stationed near the Erasuti anti-poaching camp under the park’s Agoratoli range intercepted a group of unknown people on foot. On being challenged, a fierce gun battle broke out between both the parties, she added.
At first light around 5 am, the forest guards searched the area which led to the recovery of a poacher’s body.
The guards also recovered a suspected modified .303 rifle and live rounds of ammunition near the body. The deceased’s identity, however, could not be ascertained, and upon enquiry with the local villagers, indicated no person missing, she said.
Ghosh further said that the entire area has been cordoned off and an intensive search and combing operation has been launched to trace out other poachers, who likely managed to escape, and further evidence with the help of Assam Police.