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The Mozambique police shot a Malawian man in possession of two rhino horns when he tried to flee with five other people in the northern province of Niassa, a source told Lusa on Monday
The group, located after a tip off, was looking for customers to whom they could sell the horns on Thursday afternoon when the incident occurred.
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When they realised the presence of the authorities they fled, said Alves Mate, spokesman for the Mozambican Police (PRM) in Niassa province.
The man shot, aged 60, had a backpack containing horns, the police said, noting that one of the members of the group was his son and that he had coerced him into joining the business.
“He was shot in the left leg and the rest managed to escape,” the PRM spokesman said, adding that the man remains hospitalised and is out of danger.
PRM added that it is in contact with Malawian authorities aiming to locate the five escapees, all of Malawian nationality.
