DERGAON, Dec 30 – One Gobendra Pegu, owner of the vegetable farm where the decomposed body of the rhino was recovered on Sunday was arrested by Kamargaon police today. According to police source Ronoj Pegu the ten-years-old boy of Gobendra was involved in the poaching along with a gang,as confessed by Gobendra.The OC Kamargaon PS Prem Phukan told the Assam Tribune that he was leading an operation and expected that the gang will be in the net of police very soon.Ten rhinos including the killing at Afalagaon were carried out by poachers this year. Two were killed at Kemari chapori alone within a few months.The last female rhino was killed by poachers which was recovered yesterday. This is the first case where the body was buried by the killers.Among three rhinos strayed from KNP one is still untraced.And this is feared to be the target of the poachers,a forrest official opined.
The owner of the farm where the decomposed body of the rhino was found Gobendra Pegu was taken to the police station by the VDP of the village.Later Gobendra confessed that his minor son Ronoj Pegu(10) was involved in the poaching.According to the source the nine-man poachers led by Bipul Kaman ,Chidananda Mili and Chandra Mili killed the rhino.
After visiting the spot and the area this correspondent learnt the fault of the forrest deptt.At present there is no forest camp at Kemari chapori which is about 15 km far from the park boundary. According to villagers the absence of a camp gives poachers a free hand and they usually kill rhinos at the site.
There are two forest camps at Moriahola and Bonkual which are lying idle as rhinos can’t cross the area due to thick population at present. The camps should be shifted to the middle part of Ri-Ri to Bonkual and the east part of Kemari chapori .As a result of these two camps the poachers sheltered at Bamun chapori and Bhhkte chapori can be gaurded.On the other hand another new camp will be started soon at Alami-Langlengia to gaurd the Lohere,Borbali and Shiyal chapori.
A forest official source infomed that the camp at Kemari must be equiped with sophisticated arms etc.As the mobile network is absent in the areas a Wireless Tower should be installed among the camps for communication among forest personnels in the camps.
