‘Poacher' shot dead in KNPTR during encounter, AK-56 recovered
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Guwahati: Based on specific inputs of poachers entering the park with sophisticated weapons, the KNPTR security force and police, in a joint operation, killed a suspected poacher on Wednesday night.
An AK-56 rifle and 11 rounds of live ammunition were also recovered from the possession of the unidentified individual.
This is the second such instance of a suspected poacher being killed in KNPTR within a month.
"Before the monsoon rain inundates the park, such poaching attempts are being taken. Nearly a month later it will not be easy to enter," said a senior police official.
KNPTR authorities said while one individual was killed during their
encounter
with the suspected poachers, they had also recovered weapons.
"The poachers are getting desperate. They are attempting to enter, but we have thwarted their efforts proactively," KNPTR field director Sonali Ghosh said.
DFO of eastern assam wildlife division, Arun Vignesh, said, "We could not identify the individual. Most likely, he is not from a nearby area. If he was from nearby villages, he would have been identified by now," Vignesh said.
Issuing a press release, KNPTR authorities said approximately at 8 pm on Wednesday evening, the range officer of eastern range (Agaratoli) received credible information regarding an armed attack on front-line staff, stationed at Balidubi Camp, by unidentified poachers.
In response, all forest camps in the vicinity were immediately placed on high alert and additional security teams were swiftly deployed.
The statement further read, a team, consisting of forest security personnel and local police, reached the Dhanbari area at around 10:30 pm and detected suspicious movement of armed individuals. "The team issued a warning, instructing the suspects to stop and identify themselves.
In response, the armed poachers opened fire on the security personnel. Exercising utmost restraint, the team returned controlled fire in self-defence," the statement read.
The individual was immediately transferred to the nearby Swahid Kamala Miri Civil Hospital at Bokakhat, where he was declared brought dead, the release said. A comprehensive search operation is underway to apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the incident, the statement read.
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