A forest guard was also killed in the firing. An Mk 1 .303 rifle, one pistol and cartridges have also been recovered from the spot.
Sources said the incident took place at 2.45 am at the Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Orang – located about 100 metres away from a watch tower on the fringes of the park.
The poachers allegedly killed the female pachyderm and took away its horn.
The guards at the watch tower fired at the poachers. A member of the Assam Home Guard, Sushil Seal, was killed in the crossfire.
Reports said that poachers killed and de-horned nearly 200 rhinos over the past 13 years with as many as 20 rhino poaching incidents reported in this year only.
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