The Assam government has announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to the recovery of the horn of a rhino that was killed by poachers in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve about a month ago.
The announcement on Wednesday followed an offer of ₹2 lakh for leading the police to three suspected poachers. The wanted persons have been identified as Abdul Matin, Ataur Rahman and Asmat Ali — all from the Biswanath district of north-eastern Assam.
“The three are wanted for rhino poaching,” Special DGP (Law and Order) G.P. Singh said confirming the award. He is also the chief of the Anti-Rhino Poaching Task Force.
The police had on January 29 shot and injured a fourth person accused of having been involved in the poaching of the rhino in the Kohora range of the park. The horn was missing from the carcass located on January 20.
Officials said the carcass was about 15 days old.
It was the first case of rhino poaching in the State in 2022 and came days after the Assam government declared 2021 as the year with the least cases of rhino poaching in 21 years. Poachers had killed one rhino in 2021.
On January 26, the Assam police deployed 20 commandos in Kaziranga for patrolling vulnerable areas and conducting special operations to minimise poaching.
The highest number of rhinos killed in Assam was 27 each in 2013 and 2014. The cases kept dropping from the seven killed in 2018.
