Marijuana destroyed

LAHAN: Police on Friday destroyed 339 kg of marijuana seized from two vehicles last week at Lahan along Mahendra Highway, police inspector Rudra Neupane of Area Police Office, Lahan,

said. Five people have been arrested in realation to the incidents and investigations are going on, Neupane said. — HNS

More night buses

LAHAN: The number of night passenger buses plying on the Mahendra Highway has increased following the announcement of unilateral ceasefire by the Maoists. This has relieved people going home during the Dashain. On an average, 160 night buses ply daily along the eastern section of the highway, 30 more from the pre-truce period, according to Eastern Regional Traffic Police Office, Itahari. — HNS

2 killed in accident

PYUTHAN: Two people were killed and some others injured when a passenger bus bound for Butwal from Machchhi of Pyuthan district met with an accident at Dhungegadhi VDC of the district on Friday afternoon. Those who perished in the mishap are identified as Dan Bahadur Pun, 40, of Khalanga VDC, Topre and his daughter, said Keshav Bhattarai, police DSP of district police office, Pyuthan. Pun died on the spot while his daughter died on the way to a hospital, said Manoj Shrestha, a worker of Swargadwari Public Transportation Entrepreneurs’ Committee, Pyuthan. — HNS

Locals capture robber

NAWALPARASI: Local youths of Shiva Mandir VDC-1, Nawalparasi, captured a member of a gang of armed looters on Thursday night and handed him over to police. Earlier, the group of looters had stormed into the house belonging to local Netra Bahadur Sunar and were fleeing away with Rs 150,000 from the house when the villagers got hold of one of their member and thrashed heavily, police said. It is yet to confirm whether the looters were Maoists, police Inspector Bishnu Hari Koirala said. — HNS

Maoists abduct youth

PYUNTHAN: The Maoists have abducted more than a dozen youths who had applied for admission into the Pyuthan-based Chandi Prasad Battalion of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA). “We have taken them under control as they ignored our warnings not to join the RNA,” said Basanta, a Pyuthan-based Maoist cadre, over the phone. — HNS

Suicide cases up

RAJBIRAJ: Number of patients reported in the Sagarmatha Hospital in Rajbiraj, for consuming poison is increasing here. Recently 18-year old Jungli Sardar, son of Laxman Sardar of Dharampur ward no 8 in Saptari has been admitted to the hospital after he consumed poisonous seeds. Likewise, a 50-year old Dhamanti Devi, a resident of Rajbiraj Municipality ward no 2 died Monday night after she drank insecticide. A 30-year old mother of three, Sarada Devi has also been admitted in the hospital after she consumed insecticide on Tuesday

night. — RSS

AI team in east

ITAHARI: International human rights organisation Amnesty International has said people of eastern Nepal are in favour of peace. Chairman of the Amnesty Nepal Chapter, and leader of the visiting team, Pradeep Pokharel, said the team had visited to Ilam, Jhapa, Sunsari and Morang district. They said that locals aspire for peace on the eve of Dashain and Tihar festivals. The people there also reportedly told the team that peace was possible through talks, general secretary of the AI, Chandra Adhikari said. — RSS