Manipur militant among 5 poachers nabbed in Assam's Kaziranga

Five alleged rhino poachers, including a Manipur-based militant, were arrested in Assam's Kaziranga National Park on Wednesday, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rhino Task Force with the help of Manipur Police arrested five people while they were planning a poaching operation in the national park, Special Director General of Police G P Singh said.

The militant, identified as 35-year-old Thangouchin V Khamkhopau, is a member of the Zomi Revolutionary Organisation (ZRO), and he was wanted in a case of Bokakhat police station in which he was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Golaghat Superintendent of Police Robin Kumar said.

The militant was trained by the NSCN (IM) and he was also involved in rhino poaching, Kumar said.

The four other poachers have been identified as Ramjan Ali, Asmat Ali, Dilbar Rahman and Md Fakharuddin.

Two incidents of rhino poaching were reported in the national park last year, while one such incident has been recorded this year so far.