According to the police, the group was operating their business from a hotel near Bharatpur Cancer Hospital. Among the five arrested, one is a woman as police have not revealed her identity yet. [break]
The four others have been identified as Mahadi Hasan, 50, of Nautanwa, India, Bharat Baniya, also from India, Mohan Prasad Sah, 52, and Rambharosa Sah, 50, of Birgunj. Police had apprehended the group from Chandra Surya Guest House at around 3 pm.
The owner of the hotel told Republica the group had booked rooms saying that they were here to meet a child, who was admitted in the hospital for cancer treatments.
The rooms were first booked by the woman, Mohan, and Rambharosa on Monday, and Hasan and Baniya had joined them only on early Tuesday.
“They used to come and go out of the hotel all the time, and on Tuesday two men came looking for them. A few hours later, the police raided their rooms and arrested them,” said the hotel owner. Among the others, Baniya used to visit and stay in the hotel on a regular basis.
Poachers and smugglers kill these endangered species of deer, found mostly at higher altitude, for their valuable pod. These musk pods, which are found in their lower abdomen, are sold for its fragrance as its market price is extremely high.
Police suspect that the arrested group has hidden more of the musk pods elsewhere. Going by the law, a person found guilty of smuggling parts of wildlife can be fined between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,000,00 and could also face jail sentence up to 15 years or even life imprisonment.
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