Mahendranagar, January 28:

Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve Authority today started interrogating the two persons arrested on the charge of poaching rhino horn.

“We have recorded the statements of Rabindra Aidi and Man Bahadur Kunwar,” assistant warden of the Shuklaphanta wildlife reserve, Kishor Meheta said.

The duo is in the custody of the district police office Kanchanpur though they were accused under the forest and wildlife regulations and were supposed to be detained under the wildlife reserve authority.

The accused were transferred on the second day of the arrest to the district police office from the wildlife reserve, he said. “They were supposed to be under the custody of the wildlife reserve for the initiation of legal action,” said Meheta, adding that they were compelled to hand the culprits over to the district police office since they couldn’t provide the needed security.

The legal provision is to file a lawsuit against the accused within 25 days of the arrest. Assistant warden Meheta said necessary investigation was underway and a lawsuit would be filed soon, adding, “Everything cannot be made public since the case is still under investigation,” he said.

The duo was arrested along with a rhino horn in a hotel near a bus park in Mahendranagar by a team led by district forest officer of Darchula, Ramesh Chand, on Thursday. Meanwhile, police chief of Kanchanpur, Madhav Prasad Nepal had arrested Chand and kept him in police custody for four hours immediately after Chand had handed the culprits over to the wildlife reserve after arresting them.

He was later released at 10:00 pm the same night in the presence of the district forest officer of Kanchanpur.

Police chief Madhav Nepal later said he had arrested Chand on the instruction of chief district officer on the charge of abduction of civilians. Meanwhile, CDO Himnath Dawadi said the local administration was not consulted prior to the arrest.