Former DIG, nine others arrested on poaching charge

KATHMANDU: Ten individuals, including a former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Nepal Police, have been arrested on charges of killing a wild boar.

According to the District Police Office, Saptari, former DIG Gyan Bikram Shah and incumbent Sub Inspector Sanjaya Neupane of Biratnagar-3 of Morang are among those arrested.

Police arrested the 10 from Yoginiya in Hanumangagar Kankalini Municipality-1 of Siraha on Thursday. Carcass of a wildboar was found in a tractor, the police also seized a .22 calibre rifle, two magazines, three binoculars, one tripod, a hammer, and one machete from a Mahindra Scorpio car.

The other arrested have been identified as Laxman Mandal (51) of Tirhuti Rural Municipality-1 in Saptari; Laxman Mandal (50) of Hanumannagar Kankalini-1, Janardan Raut (51) of Hanumannagar Kankalini-2; Shankar Prasad Yadav (51), of Hanumannagar Kankalini-3; and Om Shankar Prasai (23) of Hanumannagar Kankalini-5.

“Former DIG Shah have been arrested along with nine others. We cannot say for sure now whether he was involved in poaching,” DIG Yagya Binod Pokharel, chief of Madhesh Province Police Office, said.”We have begun investigation into the case.”