CHITWAN, Nov 30: A total of eight individuals have been arrested for killing two rhinos inside the Chitwan National Park (CNP) recently. The CNP held a press conference and released the names of those individuals today.
Those arrested are Ramesh Khati, 33, of Makwanpur, Aite Singh Moktan, 42, of Rapti Municipality-11, Chitwan, Samsher Theing, 44, of Raksirang-9, Makwanpur, Sitaram Theing aka Theing Baje, 56, of Raksirang-6, Arjun Roka, 28, of Sunchhahari Rural Municipality-6, Rolpa, Dhan Bahadur Gurung, 77, of Barpak Rural Municipality, Gorkha, Un Bahadur Syantang, 40, a resident of Rapti and Indra Bahadur Tamang aka Syangbo from Manhari Municipality. Sindhu Prasad Dhungana, director general of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation said that the arrested Ramesh Khati was the mastermind behind the poaching.
220 rhinos die in CNP in eight years
Two rhinos were killed on November 16, two kilometers south-east from the Chaparchuli security post on the eastern side of the CNP.
After the killing of an estimated 18-year-old male rhino and a 6-year-old female rhino, the park administration, the Nepali Army and the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police were deployed to arrest the smugglers.
The police arrested two people less than 10 days after the rhinoceros was found dead. Six people were arrested from Rapti Municipality-3 of East Chitwan on November 25 and two people were arrested from Bhandara of the same municipality on November 27.
