Four suspected rhino poachers have been arrested in the Hatishal area of Teok in Assam’s Jorhat district following a special operation by the Jorhat Forest Division. According to preliminary reports, forest officials acted on specific intelligence inputs and apprehended the suspects from the dense forests of Barluit. One of the arrested men sustained injuries after being attacked by a rhinoceros, officials said.
Personnel from the Teok and Lahdoigarh police stations have reached the spot, and an operation is underway in the area. The four suspects are reportedly from different parts of Assam. One is from Gohpur, another from Narayanpur, while the remaining two are from Jajimukh.
The Hatishal area and its surroundings have witnessed the movement of several one-horned rhinoceroses in recent years, underlining the sensitivity of the region for wildlife crime. Further details of the operation and the identities of the arrested suspects were awaited.
