Kathmandu, June 5:

A police team from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD), Hanumandhoka, yesterday arrested three Kashmiris — Mohammad Alam, Shaukat Ahmad Nazad and Mudasi Alachhi — from Thamel and Lazimpat with 19 shawls made of Tibetan Antelope wool.

The shawls cost Rs 105,000 to Rs 160,000 each, SP Devendra Subedi at the MPCD said. According to the police, 150g of wool can be extracted from an Antelope. “Six to 10 antelopes are needed to prepare one shawl,” Subedi said.

The endangered animals are found in the Annapurna Area of Nepal.

“However, we are not sure where these shalws were actually made. It is learnt that Nepal is being used as a transit point for smuggling such illegal items,” Subedi said. The police have handed over the case to the District Forest Office (DFO), Kathmandu. According to a DFO official Chandra Man Dangol, a court can sentence Antelpoe poachers to 10 years in jail or impose a fine of Rs 40,000-75,000 or both.