(IN): Kaziranga shootout traps cars

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090728/jsp/nation/story_11290707.jsp

 

Kaziranga shootout traps cars

A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, July 27:* Bullets smashed into a Santro travelling through

Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, narrowly missing its two civilian

occupants, as forest guards and suspected poachers exchanged fire last

evening on a highway that cuts across the rhino homeland.

 

Altogether four vehicles — a truck, a Bolero, the Santro and an Alto — were

hit by bullets when they were caught in the crossfire around 7pm.

 

At least five bullets pierced the Santro, three hitting the dashboard and

two zipping through the windshield.

 

The owner of the Santro, Brojen Handique, told *The Telegraph *today: “There

were two vehicles in front of me, a truck and a Bolero. Suddenly I saw the

two vehicles swerve as if the drivers had lost control. Almost

simultaneously, something hit the dashboard of my vehicle and the windshield

cracked.”

 

Handique, who was on his way to Jorhat from Guwahati, around 210km from the

spot, stopped at Bokakhat police station and filed a complaint. It is not

known whether the other three vehicles suffered any damage as they did not

lodge any police complaint.

 

Handique suspects that the Alto, which was right behind his vehicle, was

also hit by bullets as it, too, appeared to have lost control momentarily.

 

He said he had no idea about the damage to the other vehicles but had to

replace the windshield of his car today, before returning to Guwahati. “At

least three bullets are still embedded in the dashboard.”

 

The sub-divisional police officer of Bokakhat, Nabin Singh, said he wasn’t

sure if the other three vehicles were “also hit” as their owners hadn’t

reported to the police yet.

 

The director of the park, S.N. Buragohain, said rangers spotted four persons

in the Burapahar range near National Highway 37 around 7pm.

 

“When they were asked to stop, the suspected poachers fired at the rangers

and fled southwards towards the Karbi Anglong hills, crossing the national

highway. The forest rangers returned fire but the poachers escaped,” he

added.

 

A bag of salt, generally used to lure rhinos, and empty cartridges of .303

rifles were later found at the spot.

 

Handique said bullets were fired from both sides of the national highway.

“More bullets came from the Karbi Anglong side but there was firing from

inside Kaziranga also.”

 

Another forest official at Kaziranga said at least one poacher was injured

in the gun battle. Police and forest personnel have launched a joint

operation to catch the poachers.

 

 

______________________

 

 

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul2809/at06

 

Encounter with poachers near KNP

STAFF Reporter

GUWAHATI, July 27 – In a daring bid to escape from an anti-poaching patrol,

a group of poachers who were cornered and asked to surrender fired at least

eleven rounds inside the Burhapahar Range of the Kaziranga National Park

last night. Fortunately, the forest department personnel escaped unhurt.

Well-placed sources told *The Assam Tribune* that the incident started

around 6.55 pm when the anti-poaching party of Sundori camp spotted four

persons moving in a suspicious manner near Amguri Tea Estate. The group when

challenged started firing at the forest personnel forcing them to

retaliate.

 

Apprehending a long-drawn out gunbattle, the patrol party called in the

village defence party of a neighbouring settlement. But as the combined

forces started cordoning off the area, the miscreants resumed firing. The

gunbattle resulted in damage to a few cars in the area. In the cover of

darkness the poachers then fled towards Karbi Anglong.

 

Today in the morning, forest personnel who visited the spot recovered ten

empty shells of .303 bore and one empty shell of .315 bore. They also found

a khukri, a high-power torchlight and some garments used by the poachers.

 

A case has been registered at the Jakhalabandha Police Station.

 

 

 

 

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