Assam's forest department officials arrested four rhino poachers from Bokaghat near Kaziranga National Park on April 30. They were found carrying a .303 rifle and 16 rounds of bullets.
The forest department claims the poachers, all below 30 years in age, belong to the locality and were planning to enter the park early Wednesday morning for hunting. “A few bones of rhino and a fake rhino horn have also been recovered from them. They were using these to convince potential buyers,” said a forest official.
The poachers have been booked under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and the Arms act.
Kaziranga is home to about 2,300 one-horned rhinos, an endangered wildlife species. The rhinos are killed for their horn which is used in medicines. After a lull of about two years, a new wave of poaching started in Kaziranga in 2012 . About a month ago, five more poachers with arms were arrested from the same area.