BAJURA: Police said three persons have been arrested in possession of two tiger hides, bones from Pandhara in Triveni Municipality-6 of Bajura district, on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police raided Lal Bahadur Buda's house and subsequently apprehended three persons along with the animal hides and bones, said District Police Office Chief Tanka Prasad Bhattarai.

However, Buda managed to flee the scene while three others -- Ram Bahadur Air and Khagendra Khadka, both hailing from Triveni Municipality, and Birkha Saud of Badimalika Municipality were arrested today.

Police then handed over all the perpetrators along with the seized animal body parts, including bear gallbladder, to the District Forest Office for further investigation and action today.

According to the police, those that have been apprehended will be booked under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1973. If convicted, they could face jail sentence of 5 to 15 years or fined an amount of Rs 500,000 to Rs 15,00,000 or both.

Taking advantage of the extended lockdown in the area, poachers have intensified hunting in nearby jungle areas of the adjacent districts, of late.