Overview
- A Special Task Force operation that stopped vehicles on National Highway‑27 in Chirang on June 19–20 led to the rescue of eight golden langurs and the arrest of nine suspected traffickers.
- Wildlife vets and specialists rehabilitated the animals, but one langur died during treatment and seven were certified fit for release and reintroduced on June 25.
- Police say the animals were captured in the Ultapani area of Kokrajhar and moved through Chirang for sale, and one of the arrested suspects is a Bangladeshi national as investigators probe interstate and cross‑border links.
- The rescued primates are a Schedule I species (Trachypithecus geei) with a narrow range in western Assam and southern Bhutan, and officials estimated the group’s illegal market value at about ₹16 lakh.
- Authorities have handed the seized animals and evidence to the Forest Department for legal action and will continue close post‑release monitoring in Sikhna Jwhwlao National Park, part of the Manas Biosphere Reserve.