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How A Selfie Helped Put Kaziranga Rhino Poachers Behind Bars

They had killed a female rhino last year.
Reuters Photographer / Reuters

Selfies have killed, selfies are an addiction and have landed many in trouble. But probably, in a first in India, a selfie has helped land criminals in jail.

If reports are to be believed, two rhino poachers were caught by the police with the help of a selfie taken by them after killing a female rhino in Assam's Kaziranga National Park.

The Hindustan Times quoted Jakhalabandha police station in-charge, Deben Bora, as saying, "The two accused had clicked photos of themselves inside the national park before killing the rhino on June 18 last year. We got the photos from our sources, which clearly proved their presence at the scene of the crime."

Thanks to the selfie, Ruful Ali from Assam and Loisha Sema from Nagaland were arrested last Wednesday. The photograph had Ali in it holding two automatic rifles.

The Hindustan Times reported that the rhino that the duo had killed was found by forest officials last year in the Bagori range, which is at the southern end of the park. The horn of the rhino was missing and six empty cartridges of 303 rifles were found along with the carcass.

The two have allegedly admitted to the crime.

Rhino poaching is a menace in Assam, and despite efforts it has not stopped completely.

It was earlier this month that Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal admitted that government alone could not curb rhino poaching.

"Forest guards and the police have been putting in their best efforts to stop rhino poaching. But people living in the fringe villages of Kaziranga National Park too have to play a very positive and proactive role in order to wipe out the menace," The Indian Express quoted him as saying.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.