Illegal Rhino Poachers handed over to police:-

Two poachers arrested by a team led by the District Forest Officer (DFO) of Darchula Ramesh Chand have been handed over to the District Police Office of Kanchanpur- a move alleged by the Forest and Wildlife Conservation officials as a ploy to free them under political influence.

According to Annapurna Post daily, Rabindra Edi and Man Bahadur Kunwar were arrested in possession of the horn of the rare one-horned Rhino by a the team of DFO Chand from a hotel in Mahendra Nagar and were handed over to the office of Shukla Phanta Wildlife Conservation Area.

The events occurring within the conservation area and its buffer zone should be handled by the conservation office as per the National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act 2029. While there is a 500 men-strong army deployed for the security of the conservation area, the duo were handed over to the police in the name of providing better security.

The DFO of Kanchanpur, Surya Kant Sigdel said anti-poaching missions have been foiled due to the intervention of the police. DFO Chand of Darchula was detained by the police in allegation of kidnapping after he arrested the poachers.

nepalnews.com ta Jan 26 09