Broken piece of rhino horn sold to former MLA from Nagaland, says report

Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Oct. 1 (EMN): A businessman from Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, who was arrested for his involvement in rhino horn smuggling, has told Kaziranga National Park authorities that he had sold a broken piece of horn to a former MLA in Nagaland in August, according to a Times of India report on Thursday.

“The man, identified as Mansingh Terang of Diphu in Karbi Anglong district, confessed to selling a broken piece of rhino horn to a former MLA in Nagaland. He also met the wife of the ex-legislator while handing it over,” the assistant conservator of forest Pirai B was quoted as saying.

Terang was arrested from Diphu in Karbi Anglong district on September 28, it added.

According to the report, over the past few days, Kaziranga forest staff have arrested 11 rhino horn smugglers. Among them are two staffers of Kaziranga and three social workers associated with various wildlife protection and conservation activities at the national park.

The DFO of Kaziranga, Ramesh Gogoi, said the rhino horn was initially recovered by two forest staffers — Habibur Rahman and Ashok Bhuyan — during patrolling. Subsequently, they handed over the horn to Rameswar Signar, a social worker, in Ingley Pathar village of Karbi Anglong district, close to Kaziranga, he added.

Rameswar, with the help of two others, then gave it to Terang who later sold it to the former Nagaland MLA.

“Our investigation is on to recover the horn. We believe the probe is on the right track and some political leaders in Nagaland may get exposed,” said a forest officer who is engaged in the investigation.