A Home Guard and a forest guard, working in the Kaziranga National Park, were arrested on Saturday along with a piece of rhino horn during an operation conducted by a team of the national park.

The operation was carried in the Bagori forest range of the national park.

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Based on specific inputs, the operation was carried out under the leadership of the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Kaziranga National Park, Ramesh Kumar Gogoi.

The arrested forest guard and Home Guard have been identified as Sonia Orang and Dipen Kumar Nath.

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“Two staff (Sri Sonia Orang, forest guard and Sri Dipen Kumar Nath, Home Guard) were apprehended yesterday by FRO Bagori in connection with illegal possession of Wildlife Trophy (Broken piece of Rhino Horn). Case is registered and investigation is on,” the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve authority wrote on its Twitter handle.

Sources said last year, the arrested forest personnel duo deposited a number of rhino horns, found in the national park, to the park authority but they kept a piece of such horns with them and was in search of rhino horn traders.

But due to the Covid19 restrictions announced in Assam, they faced trouble in selling the piece of rhino horn piece.

Recently, a dispute grew up between the two and the secret regarding the rhino horn piece came to light and a park team led by DFO Ramesh Kumar Gogoi was able to catch the duo along with the wildlife piece.

A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act and the Kaziranga National Park DFO has started an investigation.