Guwahati, Jan 27 (IANS): A team of suspected animal poachers was arrested by Assam Police for killing a one-horned adult female rhino in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, police said on Saturday.

Police said that they have recovered a Rifle of AK Series which was used for killing the rhino.

The Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Gyanendra Pratap Singh said that the police have seized an AK rifle along with several rounds of live bullets and the rhino horn from the poachers.

“Poachers have been arrested along with recovery of poached horn and the AK Rifle used in the poaching. Some more recoveries are yet to be made along with reconstruction of Crime Scene,” Singh wrote on X.

On January 21, poachers killed a female one horned rhino at Agoratoli Forest Range in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The corpse was found the following day. The officials claimed that the poachers took off the horn and ran away.

The police said that following the incident, they initiated an operation and within a week they were able to catch the poachers.

“We monitored potential markets and followed the links that were provided. The poachers' attempt to sell the horn was predicted. We apprehended the poachers on Friday after receiving specific information,” a senior police officer said.

Singh said that a team led by the Superintendent of Police (SP) Golaghat cracked the case of recent rhino poaching at Kaziranga after a superb investigation.

Joge Pegu, a resident of the Bijni subdivision in the Chirang district, has been identified as one of the poachers who has been arrested.

The police sdaid that further information will be released later and that they are still looking into the incident.

In 2022, Assam reported zero rhino poaching after nearly thirty years.

Police said that the poaching has decreased throughout the past three years as a result of concrete steps made to stop it.

“We have been keeping strict vigil on each and every movement including the sale of animal body parts because sale of such products are cause of most of the killings,” the police said.