49, including two province assembly members, sentenced for wildlife crime

KATHMANDU: Parsa National Park Office has convicted 49 individuals, including two provincial assembly members, for poaching sambar deer.

Defendants Kumar Lama, Bikas Sahani and Upendra Yadav, who are on the run, have received penalties under Clause 26 (3) of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act. The remaining 34 absconding defendants will face punishment under the Act upon their arrest, according to the office.

Similarly, Madhesh Province Assembly Member Pramod Kumar Jaiswal, Bagmati Province Assembly Member Shyam Bahadur Khadka, former chairman of Sakhuwa Prasauni Rural Municipality in Parsa Pradip Kumar Jaiswal, and Sanjiv Shahi were also penalized under Clause 27 of the National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act for their role in abetting the crime.

A team of the Nepal Army deployed for national park security encountered the hunting team in the core forest area in Akubaniya on December 19. The team arrested five on the spot, while a few others managed to run and take shelter at a farmhouse of province assembly member Jaiswal. The team then raided Jaiswal’s farmhouse and recovered the logistics used in the hunt.

The Parsa National Park Office has also notified the Department of Money Laundering Investigation for a separate investigation, as some of the defendants were suspected of engaging in suspicious financial transactions.

The office also decided to seize vehicles, firearms and logistics, along with Rs 296,630 and INR 1,200 that were recovered from the scene of the crime.

Bagmati Province Assembly Member Shyam Bahadur Khadka has been referred to the Parsa District Police Office for further investigation under the Arms and Ammunition Act. The investigation revealed that Khadka had supplied the firearms, licensed under his name, for the hunt.

Additionally, the Parsa National Park Office has decided to conduct further investigation against the defendants under the Act to Regulate and Control International Trade in Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora and the Prevention of Organized Crime Act after finding evidence in the involvement in wildlife trade.

The Parsa National Park Office has also notified the Department of Money Laundering Investigation for a separate investigation, as some of the defendants were suspected of engaging in suspicious financial transactions.