Poacher wanted for killing rhinos, smuggling their horns held in Bengal

Police superintendent (Alipurduar) Y Raghuvamshi said a local court sent Leken Basumatari, the accused, into the forest department custody for 14 days after his arrest on Wednesday

A poacher wanted for allegedly killing rhinos and smuggling their horns to Myanmar for sale in the international black market since 2010 has been arrested from West Bengal’s Alipurduar district, a police officer said on Friday.

Forest department officials said Basumatari and his associates would shoot rhinos with rifles . (Getty Images)

Police superintendent (Alipurduar) Y Raghuvamshi said a local court sent Leken Basumatari, the accused, into the forest department custody for 14 days after his arrest on Wednesday.

“The forest department conducted all the investigation that led to the arrest. The accused was involved in the killing of around 20 rhinos in West Bengal,” Raghuvamshi said.

Forest department officials said Basumatari and his associates would shoot rhinos with rifles and smuggle their horns. The gang allegedly killed rhinos in Assam’s Manas National Park as well as in Bengal’s Jaldapara and Gorumara.

The last rhino poaching in Bengal was reported from Jaldapara in April 2021. One of Basumatari’s associates was earlier nabbed but he managed to escape.

The rhino horns are in much demand in countries such as China and Vietnam, where they are used in traditional medicines though there is no scientific basis for it.