KATHMANDU: The Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) has recovered a vehicle, which was reported hijacked some three years ago, from Durbarmarg.

A Toyota microbus, which was reported hijacked on November 27, 2007, was found in Durbarmarg area with the

registration number Ba. 1. Pa 681. According to MPTD officials, investigation to find the vehicle was going on for the last one and a half years.

Three boys in November 2007 had hired the vehicle for Rs 7,000 from Bhairahawa and were on their way to Narayangarh. From then on, the vehicle disappeared, said owner Kishore Maskey from Nawalparasi. The vehicle then with the registration number Ba. 2. Kha 1954 used to operate in Kathmandu-Bhairahawa route.

With the recovery of the vehicle, MTPD has also rounded up three people - Shyam Shahi, Awadesh Singh and Kumar Ramtel.

But it MTPD is still unclear about the three boys who were involved in hijacking the car.

Investigation has revealed that when the vehicle reached Kawasoti of Nawalparasi, two of the boys asked the driver Milan Chitrakar to stop saying they had to answer call of the nature.

When the boys did not show up for long, conductor Mohan Chaudhary got off the vehicle to check on them. In the mean time, one of the boys inside the vehicle attacked the driver with a khukuri. Then two other boys also took the conductor under control and fled with the vehicle.

But interestingly, said MTPD Spokesperson

and Deputy Inspector General of Police Binod Singh, it was Shahi who planned to change the public transport van into a private vehicle in a bid to make money.

Police investigation has revealed, Shahi, a spare parts shop owner, had bought a burnt vehicle of similar make from India. Then he along with Singh and Ramtel changed the chassis and registration number of the vehicle and sold it to Sinik Travels on January 19, 2009, added Singh.

Shahi, Singh and Ramtel are being sent to Metropolitan Police Range for further investigation. The three boys who hijacked the car are still at large.