CHITWAN, May 21: The Chitwan National Park (CNP) has arrested six individuals on the charge of buying and selling the horn of a one-horned rhino. One of the accused is on the absconding list.
The CNP office held a press conference today and revealed the identities of six people who were arrested from Bharatpur Metropolitan city-6 on April 9.
The suspects have been identified as Kranti Khadka, 29, of Kawasoti Municipality-16, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat, Susta East); Lekhnath Sunar ,38; Chhabi Lal Pariyar, 50; Prakash Ghimire,36, of Kawasoti Municipality-15; Khim Bahadur Baral of Bulingtar Rural Municipality-4; and Prakash Raj Joshi, 27, of Chhabis Pathibhera Rural Municipality-1, Bajhang.
CNP Senior Conservation Officer Dil Bahadur Purja Pun said that a rhino horn of the endangered one-horned rhino was found in possession of Khadka. It is stated that the horn was found in the Gundredhakaha Buffer Zone Community Forest under the Amaltari region of the CNP in mid-March 2016.
According to the Pun, after the investigation, it was revealed that the arrested Chhabi Lal Pariyar and Bhairab Thapa of Kawasoti Municipality-15 had stolen the horn of a dead one-horned rhino, whose body had started rotting while they were in the forest to collect fodder. Conservation officer Pun said that the arrested Thapa had already died.
After the revelation of involvement in the illegal rhino horn trade, one individual connected to the trafficking operation absconded after an arrest warrant was issued against him by the Chitwan District Court.
Including the arrested and the absconding people, seven individuals have been charged under section 5(1) (a) and section 26(1) of the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (First Amendment) Act, 2029 in the case of their involvement in selling and buying the horn of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros and demanding punishment according to the law.