ONCE-OVER

Two RNA men in custody

Dharan: The district court of Sunsari has ordered two Royal Nepalese Army men accused of raping a teenager to be kept in custody for investigation. The two RNA jawans — Bishal Rai and Khem Acharya — were put under custody for further questioning, said SP Shyam Bahadur Khadka, adding further action would be taken depending on the court’s orders. Six men of the No 2 Field Barrack located at Phusre, Dharan, have been accused of raping a 15-year-old Majhi girl on November 10. — HNS

Gang murders 67-yr-old

Rupandehi: An unidentified gang killed 67-year-old Padam Chandra Shrestha, a resident of Butwal Municipality ward 5, here on Thursday. The assailants shot Shrestha in the face while was out on a morning walk. DSP at Butwal area police office, Maya Kumar Shah, claimed that five persons, alleged to be Maoists, were behind the murder. — HNS

Two airlines seek licence

KATHMANDU: Two companies have sent applications to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation seeking permission for licence to operate domestic air service. “Mero Air and Ampro Air have applied for permission to operate domestic operation. We have started the procedure concerning the matter,” said joint secretary at the ministry, Yagya Prasad Gautam. — HNS

Landmine awareness

Kathmandu: Sahara Group, in association with Save the Children Norway, has launched an awareness campaign to reduce risk of landmines. The campaign is expected to educate children about landmines. A child is killed every ninth day while another is hurt every fourth day in the blast. — HNS

Verdict awaited

Jhapa: A petro products dealer in Jhapa, found guilty of black-marketing, is awaiting verdict. After the hearing of a case jointly filed by the government attorney and Jhapa district police office at the district court against Raj Kumar Oli, manager of Metro Trading House at Duhagadhi VDC, Oli was found guilty, according to the District Administration Office of Jhapa. On February 21, Oli had informed the District Bazaar Monitoring Committee of Jhapa that the petrol pump was out of diesel. But during an inspection, the committee found that he had concealed 2,000 litres of diesel. — HNS