Rhino killings: CBI to seek Interpol aid
The Central Bureau of Investigation may take help of Interpol to probe the international and inter-state connections of poachers who are on hunting spree in the world famous Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
Disclosing that CBI Anti-Corruption Cell-II (AC-II) has taken over seven cases of rhino killings in Kaziranga, security sources told this newspaper that a team of CBI sleuths which have specialisation in wildlife crime has already been inducted for the investigation.
Indicating that the CBI team will be camping at Kaziranga National park, sources in the agency claimed that CBI may also take help of Interpol to trace destination of rhino horns poached in Assam.
Informing that there are reports of rhino horns being smuggled to China through Burma, security sources said that the buyers of rhino horns are paying an average `20 lakh to poachers for each horn.
A higher demand of “aphrodisiac” horn in the international market and strong nexus of buyers and poachers has made the one-horned rhino more vulnerable than before, security sources said adding that focus would be to bust entire nexus encouraging poaching of rhino. The CBI, which has already started discussion on their course of investigation, did not rule out the conspiracy theory.
It is significant that CBI also investigated a wildlife crime case of Nagaland where poachers were killing elephants and smuggling its tusks and bones to international market through Burma.
The conspiracy theory, which CBI will be investigating, was also corroborated on Sunday when deputy chief of Bodoland Territorial Council Khampa Borgairy alleged that some politicians and bureaucrats are encouraging poachers for hunting of deer in Manas Tiger Reserve of Assam.
Mr Borgairy who is pro-actively involved in revival plan of Manas Tiger Reserve said that some of the leaders and corrupt bureaucrats of Bongaigaon have been treating “deer meat” as status symbol. “We have specific information on those leaders and bureaucrats who are regular buyers of deer meat,” said Mr Borgiary threatening to name them if they don’t give up this habit.
The CBI will probe the involvement of sophisticated weapons and insurgent groups in the rhino killing, sources said, adding that the agency has sought logistic support from Assam.
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