BOKAKHAT: In a midnight incident at Panbari Reserve Forest in Bokakhat a notorious rhino horn poacher and an Assam Police constable have been reportedly injured. The dreaded rhino horn poacher Thangouchin V Khamkhopau was arrested from Churachandpur District of Manipur on 13 July. He is also a member of Zomi Revolutionary Army (a rebel group from Manipur) and was involved in poaching and hunting. Thangouchin is considered to be the kingpin of the Biswanath poachers gang that was responsible for multiple cases of poaching in Kohora range of Kaziranga National Park.
Thangouchin was handed over by the Churachandpur District Police, Manipur to Bokakhat Police Station team, Assam, in an inter-state cooperation for the purpose of crime prevention.
A team from Bokahat Police led by the Sub-divisional Police officer was taking Thangouchin to the spot where he had hidden his weapons. In a daring attempt Thangouchin tried to snatch a service weapon from the police team.
In order to restrain him the Assam Police had to shoot him in his leg thereby injuring him. One constable, Jewel Gogoi was also injured in the scuffle. Both the injured were admitted to the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital. Thangouchin is reported to be critically injured and has been shifted to Dibrugarh Medical College (AMCH).
