Forest patrol foils poaching attempt in Orang National Park, one poacher killed

Sonitpur, Oct 8:  A day after Orang National Park reopened to tourists on October 6, a late-night encounter broke out between forest personnel and poachers inside the National Park, resulting in the death of one poacher, officials informed on Wednesday.

The deceased has been identified as Khalilur Rahman, a resident of Tholtholi Nepali village under the Dalgaon area. No forest personnel were injured in the exchange of fire.

According to forest officials, at around 12:30 am on Tuesday, a patrol team stationed at the Rahmanpur Forest Camp noticed suspicious movements and flashes of light deep inside the forest.

The team suspected a group of four to five poachers operating in the area.

When the forest personnel approached and asked the group to identify themselves, the poachers suddenly opened fire from two directions

The forest team retaliated in self-defense. Around 8:30 am on Wednesday, the body of one poacher was recovered from the site.

“Based on reliable inputs, we had been monitoring several areas in the region. During one such ambush, our team detected unusual movement. When we asked them to identify themselves, they opened fire at our staff. In retaliation, we returned fire and managed to capture one, while the others fled,” said a forest official.

Several items were also seized from the spot including food materials, a mobile phone, an axe, six live cartridges and iron tools.

The body was recovered in the presence of Orang National Park authorities, officers from Dalgaon and Mangaldai police stations and Executive Magistrate Manas Jyoti Bora.

It was later sent to Mangaldai Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, a search operation is underway to track down the other members of the poaching group.