Four suspected rhino poachers were arrested from the Hatishal area of Teok in Assam’s Jorhat district following a special operation conducted by the Jorhat Forest Division. One of the arrested suspects reportedly sustained injuries after being attacked by a rhinoceros during the operation.
According to preliminary information, forest officials launched the operation based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of suspected poachers in the area. Acting on the information, a team of the Jorhat Forest Division carried out a search operation in the dense forest areas of Barluit and apprehended four individuals.
During the operation, one of the suspects reportedly came face to face with a rhinoceros and suffered injuries in the animal’s attack. Further details about the nature of his injuries and his medical condition were not immediately available.
Personnel from Teok and Lahdoigarh police stations have also reached the spot following the arrests. An operation is currently underway in the area, with forest officials and police personnel continuing their efforts to investigate the matter and ascertain whether more individuals are involved.
The four arrested suspects are reportedly from different parts of Assam. Preliminary reports identified one of them as a resident of Gohpur and another from Narayanpur, while the remaining two are said to be from Jajimukh.
The arrests have brought renewed attention to wildlife protection efforts in the Hatishal area and its surrounding forests, which have witnessed the movement of several one-horned rhinoceroses in recent years.
Forest officials are expected to carry out further investigation to establish the purpose of the suspects’ presence in the forest and determine whether they were involved in any planned poaching activity. More details are awaited as the operation continues.