A rhino poacher from Assam who was absconding has been arrested by Kerala Police. The poacher accused of poaching the one horned rhinoceros listed as vulnerable in IUCN’s Red List of threatened species.

A senior police officer said that the accused went to Kerala as he was involved in several poaching cases in the state and the police was actively looking for him.

He was declared an absconder by the Assam government and a reward of Rs 5 lakh was announced for his capture as he was involved in the large scale poaching of the one-horned rhino which is primarily found in the state.

Information regarding the accused -- Azmat Ali -- being in Kerala was received by District Police Chief Sujit Das IPS who forwarded the same to DySP Saju K Ibrahim on whose direction a team led by Nilambur Circle Inspector Vishnu P arrested the Assam native, reported PTI.

The accused was arrested on the intervening night of February 16-17 from Vaniyambalam near Wandoor town in Malappuram, police said and added that he would be handed over to the Assam Police.

Earlier on February 2, the Additional DGP (law and order), Assam GP Singh announced a rewards of Rs. 5 lakhs who will give information leading to the recovery of the poached rhino horn.

ADGP GP Singh has released photographs of three suspected poachers announcing the rewards. He said that the three poachers are in the most wanted list.

The wanted persons have been named as Abdul Matin, Ataur Rahman and Asmat Ali.

All the wanted persons are residents of Biswanath district.

A police source informed that they have been identified to be behind the recent rhino killing that took place in Kohora range of Kaziranga.