Chitwan, May 21: The Chitwan National Park (CNP) has arrested six people on the charge of their involvement in trafficking in rhino horns. One of the accused is absconding.     

The CNP Office made them public organizing a news conference here today. They were arrested from Bharatpur Metropolitan City-6 on April 9.     

Those arrested in this connection are 29-year-old Kranti Khadka of Kawasoti municipality-16, Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East), 38-year-old Lekhnath Sunar, 50-year-old Chhabilal Pariyar of Kawasoti municipality-15, 36-year-old Prakash Ghimire of the same place, 35-year-old Khim Bahadur Baral of Bulingtar rural municipality-4 and 27-year-old Prakash Raj Joshi of Chhabis Pathibhera rural municipality-1, Bajhang district.     

CNP Chief Conservation Officer Dil Bahadur Purja Pun said among the arrestees, a piece of the horn of the endangered one-horned rhino was found in Khadka's possession. This wildlife part was found inside the Gundredhakaha buffer zone community forest under the Amaltari region of the CNP in April nine years back.     

According to Chief Conservation Officer Pun, Pariyar and one Bhairav Thapa of Kawasoti municipality-15 had extracted the horn from the carcass of a one-horned rhino in the forest area when they had reportedly gone to the forest to collect animal fodder.     

Thapa has already died, police said. Another person involved in the trafficking of the rhino horn is absconding, Pun said.