SAMSERGUNJ: A notorious smuggler who had given a slip to nearly a dozen Nepali Army check posts has finally been arrested in Banke.

Gobinda Prasad Belbase, hailing from Kopuwa-1, Kapilvastu, who was travelling from Dhangadhi to Kathmandu with a hide of patebagh (rare species of tiger), was arrested by the Bageshwori Battalion of the Armed Police Force in Shamsergunj, Banke.

Though military check posts have been established by the government spending millions of rupees at various places of the park, the smugglers have been supplying the banned items under their nose.

Belbase had managed to slip past various Nepali Army check posts at the Bardiya National Park earlier.

Belbase had got into the bus from Attariya of Kailali. Though he travelled through the park and passed the NA check posts at Chisapani, Amreni, Bhurigaun and Rambhapur, he was not arrested in any of the military check posts. Later, after being arrested by the police, Belbase said, "I had never imagined to be arrested this way because I had passed through various military check posts successfully."

The police seized a 10-feet-long tiger hide from Belbase. As the skin was not yet dry the tiger must have been killed recently, police said. Further, authorities claim that the smugglers must have stayed inside the park for a long time making temporary camps.

Bhogendra Mandal, Assistant Forest Officer, Banke, said, "The smuggler must have stayed inside the park for a long time because the tigers are few in number and are rarely seen. Poachers must have taken a long time to kill the tiger."

According to Bijay Pandit, Superintendent of Police, APF, Belbase possesses a bank voucher of Rs 250,000 which was sent to Dhangadhi from Kathmandu. Pandit said, "We have achieved a great success. Had he escaped he would not have been arrested."

However, Belbase defended himself by saying that he was just a porter and he was sent to Kathmandu by a person having a family name Lama. He was paid Rs 5,000 for the job, he added. SP Pandit said that Belbase along with the hide has been handed over to the District Forest Office.