Police had long been searching for Chepang, who was convicted in three cases of rhino killing and was sentenced to 15 years´ imprisonment. However, he has been on the lam.[break]
CNP informed that the smuggler gang was apprehended in the course of “Operation Unicornish” conducted to quash the rhino poaching and rhino body parts smuggling racket.
Organizing a press meet in Chitwan, CNP informed that the arrested gang included local poachers as well as international smugglers. CNP further claimed that the group was arrested when it was trying to enter the national park to kill the rhinos.
As per information given at the press meet, ´Operation Unicornish´ was conducted between September 12 to October 1. Two years ago also, CNP had launched ´Operation October´ and a group of smugglers dealing in rhino body parts was arrested.
Out of the nine cases against him at CNP, Buddhi Bahadur Chepang was convicted in three. He was arrested on September 13 in Pokhara with the help of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police.
“Smugglers operate at various levels. At the first level, smugglers buy arms from the Indian market and bring them to Nepal for poaching. Killing rhinos and obtaining the horns also fall within this level,” said Tika Ram Poudel, assistance conservation officer at CNP. According to him, in the second tier of activities local smugglers buy the rhino horns, and subsequently, in the third step of the smuggling process, take the horns to Kathmandu. Poudel informed that the rhino horns are smuggled out to the country in the fourth and last phase of the smuggling.
CNP claims that all the smugglers operating at all four levels of the smuggling mechanism have been arrested during Operation Unicornish. Poudel further informed that poacher Chepang, who is from Chitwan, has killed 12 rhinos since 2005.
Along with Chepang, police have arrested Bir Bahadur Praja, Dilli Bahadur Praja and Damu Praja of Bhandara, Raju Praja, Ramesh Praja and Ram Bahadur Praja of Korak VDC, Durga Kumal of Meghauli and Gopal Hajar Dusad of Mathol VDC in Parsha district. Police have also seized weapons from the smugglers.
“Had these smuggler not been arrested, they would have killed more rhino as they were prepared for it,” said Poudel of CNP. In the course of the operation, four people dealing in rhino horns have also been arrested.
Dithi Lama, Nurpu Chhuden Lama and Hitan Lama, all of them from Gorkha district and now living in diffrent places in the capial, have been arrested on the charge of dealing in rhino horns. Similarly, police have also arrested Norsang Lama of Jorpati in Kathmandu, for his involvement in the rhino horn smuggling.
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