Nepal police spent more than a week scouring the backwaters of Kavre in search of the accused. Meanwhile, Ratna, who is also an advisor to the UCPN (Maoist), and two of his sons, are still at large. [break]
The Lama family had terrorized Gothatar locals by hiring a criminal gang following a minor dispute over managing construction materials. The Lamas have been constructing a private house on a contract basis in Gothatar-8, nearby the site of incident.
According to his primary statement to the police, Palden had hired the gang himself. He claimed that the gang attacked the locals indiscriminately though both the parties had settled the dispute in presence of the police.
Palden is the first of absconding accused to be arrested. Rameshwar Shrestha and Pasang Lama, who have been accused of opening fire at Rajaram Khadka, a local and second-grader Karki, were held immediately after being beaten up the locals during the scuffle.
The police have revealed that Shrestha had also shot at one Abhiman Singh Basnet in Maitidevi four months ago.
The incident reflects worsening security situation in the country. Meanwhile, Nepal police is known to have been mulling change of leadership in the capital.
Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK) and Crime Division had deployed separate teams to Kavre to hunt down the absconding accused. “It is an important beginning in our search for the accused,” said Superintendent of Police Ganesh KC, chief of MPRK.
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