GUWAHATI: A court in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district recently convicted four individuals, including a known wildlife smuggler from Assam, in connection with a 2024 poaching and trafficking case. The verdict was delivered by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Alipurduar.
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Among those convicted is Rikoch Narjari from Assam’s Kamrup district, who was arrested last year following a warrant issued by the Alipurduar court. Narjari, also known by aliases such as Devid Guite and Damra, had been on the radar of enforcement agencies for years due to his repeated involvement in rhino poaching and wildlife trafficking. His arrest, facilitated by joint operations involving forest and police personnel from Assam and West Bengal, led to the unravelling of a wider smuggling network operating across multiple states.
The court also convicted three others—Barun Ray and Paresh Ray of Jalpaiguri, and Ranjit Ray of Alipurduar—who were found to be active members of the smuggling network. The group was involved in the illicit trade of protected wildlife and their derivatives, including endangered species and body parts such as rhino horns.
Authorities noted that the conviction was secured within a year of the case registration, citing the focused investigation carried out by the designated investigating officer.
Notably, Narjari had previously served a prison sentence between 2016 and 2019, but he continued his illegal activities after relocating to Manipur. He recruited accomplices from Assam, Bengal, and Manipur, and maintained links with international smuggling networks. He also changed identities and devices to evade arrest before being tracked through technical intelligence and local input.
