Guwahati, March 14: Police recovered a rhino horn from a vehicle carrying three suspected poachers which collided with a bus in the wee hours today on National Highway 27 at Baihata Chariali in Kamrup district.

Two of the suspected poachers - Laminlal and Jakab Tulangchisi - died on the spot while Jakab Luwanga died at GNRC Hospitals this afternoon. Police recovered a rhino horn, arms, tranquillisers and 50g of brown sugar from the vehicle in which the trio were travelling towards Guwahati. The accident site is around 38km from here.

"After the accident, locals extricated two bodies from the mangled vehicle and sent the third person to hospital. We handed over the rhino horn to forest department officials and seized the drugs. We learned from the documents found on the trio that they were from Manipur," Twinkle Goswami, officer in-charge of Baihata Chariali police outpost said this evening.

Baihata divisional forest officer (DFO) Bankim Sarma said, "From our preliminary inspection, we ascertained the horn belongs to a female rhino around nine years old. The horn was cut out in haste, which is evident from the parts of the nasal bone, muscles and tendons stuck to it. From the blood clot, it can be assumed that the horn was chopped off last night. The horn weighs 400g."

Since the poachers died, forest officials are on the lookout for the dead rhino.

Forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma said the district forest officers did not have any information of rhino being killed yesterday.

"The poachers were punished by God. I have asked all DFOs to find the dead rhino's carcass. The Kaziranga and Orang National Parks have already confirmed that the incident did not take place there. Combing operations are going on in the forests," she said.

Brahma said the poachers are using new technology to enter national parks in Assam.

"I have been told that high-tech arms and tranquillisers were found on the poachers. Forest officials said the poachers were using inflatable rubber boats to cross rivers and enter Assam," Brahma said.

There have been 10 cases of rhino poaching in Assam so far this year.