Armed tarai activists in Valley: Police

KATHMANDU - Police claimed here Thursday that members of armed tarai outfits have already sneaked into Kathmandu Valley. The revelation comes after Metropolitan Police Range Office, Lalitpur, arrested at least six members of armed tarai groups from various parts of Lalitpur district two days ago.
Police recovered one pistol, two bullets and a cartridge from one Raj Kumar Mandal,19, who was arrested during a search at Nakkhipot, Tuesday night. Police later arrested 18 others from the surrounding areas, but released 13 of them as they were found not associated with armed groups.
Pashupati Upadhyaya, chief of Metropolitan Police Range Office, Lalitpur, said six of the detained are affiliated to an armed group active in south-eastern Nepal, but he did not reveal the name of the groups citing ongoing investigation. "Investigation is currently under way to verify what group they are affiliated with," Upadhyay said at a press conference here Thursday. Police said all those currently in detention are from Saptari district, where different factions of Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) and Madhesi Mukti Tigers are unleashing violence for the past several months. The arrested, according to police, have been identified as Dipendra Chaudhary,19, of Khojpur VDC-9, Mahendra Khatwe, 24, and Dipendra Khatwe of Odraha VDC-9 and Birendra Khatwe, 22, of Kamalpur VDC-3 and Chandra Dev Chaudhary,17, and the main suspect Mandal, 19, of Phattepur VDC-9 in the district.