Passengers looted

SIRAHA: Separate groups of people claiming themselves to be Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) and the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) activists looted cash and valuables worth over Rs 3 lakh from passengers on the Lahan road section of the Mahendra highway on Sunday night. Around a dozen robbers, claiming to be MJF cadres, looted Rs 1.4 lakh and two mobile sets from Sharad Kumar Shrestha of Ilam and Saroj Kumar Shrestha of Jhapa near Shiva Temple at Lahan-3, police said. Another group, claiming to be JTMM activists, looted cash and goods from Narendra Giri and Nutan Acharya of Nepalgunj at the same place the same night, police said. — HNS

One killed in mishap

DHADING: An elderly person was killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle at Bhaltar in Baireni VDC-8, Dhading, on the Prithvi highway on Sunday. Sanu Kancha Pariyar, 60, of Baireni-8, died on the way to Kathmandu for treatment. Vice-chairman of the Prithvi Highway unit of the Nepal Transport Workers’ Association Padmaraj Koirala said the vehicle, which had hit Pariyar, could not be identified. The irate locals had disrupted traffic for some time on the highway after the incident. — HNS

Official ‘abducted’

BIRGUNJ: Maoists on Monday allegedly abducted chief of the citizenship certificate distribution team, Lok Bahadur Khatri, at Parsa’s Swornapur VDC. The Maoists accused the team of denying citizenship to some people in Thori, locals said. One Maoist, Janak Sapkota, was held by the locals alleging his involvement in the abduction. The villagers were agitated after the abduction and they have demanded Khatri’s release. — HNS

12 houses gutted

SIRAHA: Property worth over Rs 5 lakh was destroyed when 12 houses belonging to the same family situated at Patheraba Tole of Madar-3 in Siraha district were gutted in a fire last night. A pair of oxen also perished in the fire. Altogether 12 thatched huts belonging to Udgar Surait Yadav and his three brothers were destroyed in the fire, locals said. Udgar Yadav, who was injured in the fire, is being treated in Siraha hospital. The fire was doused with help of locals. — HNS

Farmers lock office

LALITPUR: Farmers in Saibu Bhaisepati whose land was acquired by the government for the Saibu Land Pooling Project locked the project office on Monday. They also organised a rally. The farmers have demanded that their land be returned, as the project’s deadline expired two years ago. — HNS

One killed in clash

BARDIYA: One person was killed and two others injured when activists of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) and Maoists clashed at Khairapur in Gulariya, Bardiya, on Sunday. “MJF activist Jille Ram Yadav of Gulariya-3, who was injured in the clash, died while undergoing treatment at Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh state in India on Monday,” said Ganesh Banstola, the spokesperson for the Bardiya district police office. Gulariya bazaar remained closed on Monday. — HNS

Abductees rescued

BIRGUNJ: With help from locals of Chhapkaiya Pragatinagar in Birgunj municipality, two Indian nationals were freed on Monday whom kidnappers had abducted on February 8. Firoj Ram of Taulaha of western India and Satya Narayan Pandey of Uttar Pradesh were freed, police said. Locals also seized one Munna Kumar Harijan and handed him over to the Bara district police office. — HNS

One abducted

BARA: An unidentified group of persons abducted 28-year-old Umesh Kumar Yadav of Pattharhatti-6 in Bara on Monday. The group abducted Yadav from Pasaha Bridge at Baghwan at around 3:45 am, police said. — HNS