(IN): Cops hunt for poacher pal- Cellphone clue to Guwahati linkman

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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091027/jsp/northeast/story_11660593.jsp

 

 

Cops hunt for poacher pal

- Cellphone clue to Guwahati linkman A STAFF REPORTER

 

*Guwahati, Oct. 26: *Police and the wildlife crime control bureau have

launched a massive manhunt to trace the r of a mobile number which

was recovered from a poacher who was shot dead at Orang Rajiv Gandhi

National Park recently.

 

A source today said the mobile number — 9613748650 — recovered from the

poacher was actually registered in the name of a person based at Guwahati.

 

“We feel this person could provide us vital clues about the rhino horn

racket,” a senior police official said without divulging the name.

 

The cell phone was recovered from Harmuj Ali, a dreaded poacher killed in an

encounter with forest guards at the national park, along with another

poacher.

 

The duo managed to kill a rhino and were about to flee with the horn when

forest guards accosted them.

 

Harmuj, arrested several times earlier on charges of killing rhinos both at

Kaziranga National Park and Orang, hailed from Sonitpur district.

 

The mobile phone recovered from him, along with other items, showed that

several calls were made to Dimapur and Manipur, apart from those to a

Southeast Asian country.

 

The source said there were several missed calls to Harmuj’s cell number

after he died in the encounter on October 17.

 

The wildlife crime control bureau has contacted the cellphone companies for

details of the call lists.

 

“We were surprised when we found that the cell phone number used by Harmuj

was indeed registered in the name of a person in Guwahati. We are looking

for him. We are sure we will get more information about rhino horn racket

for this person,” a police official said.

 

The city police were contacted by the wildlife crime bureau in this regard.

 

A source in the forest department said poachers, mainly sharpshooters, are

sometimes hired by persons involved in the trade of animal parts.

 

“There is huge money in the trade of animal parts, especially the rhino

horn, since there is great demand for them in the international market.

There are instances of poachers being hired by the persons involved in this

racket,” a forest department official said, adding that a poacher on hire is

provided with all the necessary facilities to kill a rhino or a tiger.

 

Six rhinos have fallen prey to poachers’ bullets at Orang this year alone.

Concerned over the increasing poaching activities at the national park, the

authorities there had taken the help of the army to conduct regular patrols

along with forest guards.

 

Army personnel also conducted flag marches along the boundary of Orang twice

last month.

 

A park official said apart from the army, they had sought help from the

people of villages located on the fringes of the park.

 

“We have sought help from the village defence parties to work in close

co-operation with the forest staff and provide information regarding

poachers’ movement,” the official said.

 

 

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