Already Sentenced In Asbentia To 15 Yrs , Head Of Nepal Rhino Poaching Ring Busted In Malaysia

With the aid of Interpol, authorities have arrested the leader of a rhino poaching gang responsible for killing 20 Indian rhinoceros in Nepal. Last month, authorities nabbed Raj Kumar Praja in Malaysia where he had been evading capture for two years. Kumar was already evicted of 15 poaching incidents in absentia and sentenced to 15 years in prison.


Last week, Nepalese authorities put 31-year-old Praja before the media where he admitted to killing 20 rhinos and injuring another five. "I earned [$40,000-45,000] by selling the horns, but I could not save any money," Praja told reporters.

Praja's rhino poaching gang was rounded up and arrested in 2013, but Praja got away. He went to Sinapore and then Malaysia, living under a false passport. After his escape from Nepal, Praja was put on the Interpol Red Notice, which helps local police find criminals who are wanted abroad. Interpol has recently taken much greater efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and other environmental crimes, such as illegal logging.

"This arrest sends a strong message to criminals hiding in a foreign country that no matter where they are, they are not safe and will be caught one day," said the director of the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau, Hemant Malla Thakuri.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0219-hance-rhino-poacher-nepal.html