Nagaland-based man arrested by CBI for links with rhino poachers in Assam

The CBI arrested a person from Dimapur in Nagaland for procuring the horn of a rhino, which was killed in neighbouring Assam's Karbi Anglong district by poachers in 2012.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet in March 2018 against five accused for their alleged involvement in the rhino poaching case. Involvement of Raidang Engti, a resident of Dimapur came up during investigation but he was absconding.

"During investigation, it was found that after killing the rhino, the other accused sold the horn to the arrested accused at Dimapur. The complicity of the said accused had emerged as the person through whom the poached rhino horn was traded and transacted for a hefty amount," the CBI said in a statement on Thursday.

The CBI had registered a case in June 2012, following a request from Assam government and started investigation into the rhino poaching incident on June 1, 2012. A case was registered at Rongmongwe police station in Karbi Anglong district after carcass of a rhino was found in Long Koi Tisso village.

Karbi Anglong shares a boundary with Kaziranga National Park, which houses 2,613 one-horned rhinos (2022 Census). Kaziranga is the world's largest home of one-horned rhinos but poaching has remained a serious concern. The rhinos are killed and their horns are trafficked by persons having links with international gangs of wildlife parts smugglers.

CBI said the arrested accused would be produced in a court at Dimapur.