Jorhat, June 1: Three poachers were arrested by Pobitora forest authorities and police on Thursday night when they were trying to sneak inside the wildlife sanctuary.

A park official said they had information that poachers were trying to enter the park.

“We took the help of the police and were successful in catching them,” the official said.

The trio, two from Nagaland and one local, were arrested on the eastern boundary of the wildlife sanctuary. A .303 rifle and 10 rounds of live ammunition were seized from them.

In another incident, workers of Methoni tea estate near Kaziranga National Park apprehended two poachers, Madan Orang and Biju Orang, from the tea garden last night.

The poachers, hailing from Kandhulimari village under Bokakhat police station in Golaghat district, had come to meet Ranjit Kurmi, a garden labourer, for help to kill rhinos.

The two poachers were later handed over to the police.

Montu Kurmi, a leader of the Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA), said the two poachers had contacted Ranjit several times over phone.

Ranjit had earlier been arrested on charges of killing a rhino at Methoni tea estate a few months ago.

He was, however, set free after the forest department failed to find concrete evidence against him.

“Ranjit had informed us about the two poachers who were in touch with him over phone. We subsequently laid a trap and asked Ranjit to invite the two poachers to his residence. Last night, the duo came to Ranjit’s house and we apprehended them,” Montu said.

A few forest department personnel also waited with the workers near Ranjit’s residence last night to apprehend the poachers.

Montu said the duo had revealed that they were in possession of a .303 rifle and bullets.

A forest official said the poachers had taken the names of two persons, who had supplied them with a .303 rifle and bullets.

“We have not yet recovered the rifle but interrogation is on,” the official said.

He said the duo had revealed that they had contacted Ranjit because rhinos frequently stray into Methoni tea estate and Ranjit could provide them information about their movement.

“They were actually planning to kill rhinos, which stray out of Kaziranga,” the official said.

He said poachers usually take help from the villagers to kill rhinos at Kaziranga.

“Villagers provide information about movement of rhinos and also provide shelter to the poachers,” he said.