Nawalparasi, October 2:

Five persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the transfer of the ownership of 1,120 bighas of land belonging to the Royal Chitwan National Park to a trust. The District Police Office, Nawalparasi, said it has initiated a probe against Ram Gopal Nayaju, Atma Ram Poudel, Rudra Dhital, Ram Krishna Giri and Keshav Prasad Adhikari.

Around 60 land mafiosi had transferred ownership of a plot in Nawalparasi’s Dibyapuri, Pithauli and Pragatinagar VDCs to the Mahapriya Devi Trust.

The move is reportedly backed by high-ranking officials. The investigation showed that the group had also submitted a copy of an order issued by the bench of the then chief judge Udaya Prasad Upadhyaya, judges Jagat Nath Pyakurel and Sarbagya Raj Pandit of the income tax court in April, 1974. According to the order, the 1,120 bigha plot of land was to be transferred to the Mahapriya Devi Trust.