The anti-graft body inquired about the matter with CNP officials over phone on Thursday. “CIAA asked us as to how the horns confiscated by CNP are turning out to be fake. CIAA has also said that a team would visit CNP for further interrogation,” Tika Ram Poudel, assistant conservation officer of CNP told Republica. [break]
In one of the latest incidents, police on April 28 arrested five persons and confiscated a rhino horn at Bardibas of Mohattari district. The police then handed over the arrested and the seized horn to CNP. Later, CNP had sent the confiscated horn to the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) to test if it was genuine. It was found to be fake.
A rhino horn seized from Rautahat district on May 13 also turned out to be fake. Similarly, another rhino horn seized on March 20 by a joint team of Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and CNP patrol was also fake.
This has made the CIAA suspect collusion of the police and CNP officials.
However, Poudel said, “We take the seized horns to NAST for verification. But we don"t have any role in the horns turning fake.” He said the smugglers might have resorted to dealing in fake rhino horns lately as the conservation parks of the country have tightened security.
According to him, smugglers are reportedly making rhino horns from the horns of cows and buffalos, among others.
On June 8, 2011, a team of CIB had arrested Dinesh Adhikari aka Chari on suspicion of his involvement in rhino horn smuggling. The team had even seized a rhino horn. But he was released on bail after the rhino horn turned out to be fake.
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