According to Inspector Umesh Lamsal of Area Police Office Kawasoti, the arrested are former general Sagar Shamsher JBR, 70, of Lalitpur, Captain Baldev Kunwar and Sitaram Karki, who is also a retired army man.[break]
The police said the three had hunted the deer at Namuna Central Community Forest, which lies in the middle of the CNP, at Pithauli VDC in Nawalparasi district. “They were held by locals early in the morning and later handed over to us. We handed them to the CNP administration in the afternoon,” Lamsal said.
Also recovered from their possession were a modern rifle with scope and a car they drove inside the jungle. They are now in the national park´s custody in Kasara.
“They are in our custody and we will proceed as per National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 2029 BS,” said Jhamak Bahadur Karki, CNP´s chief conservation officer.
Poaching of endangered species could fetch an imprisonment of six months to two years or a penalty of Rs 10, 000 or both.
According to locals, former general Sagar would frequently hunt wildlife in the jungle. “Earlier we could not catch him. This time he was caught red-handed,” said Sharada Prasad Adhikari, chairman of Lamichour Central Consumers Group.
Related story
Hunters arriving in Dhorpatan as hunting opens for this season
