Three Drug Traffickers Apprehended in Kathmandu; One Injured in Police Firing

Kathmandu. On Saturday, a team from the Narcotics Control Bureau, Koteshwor, apprehended three traffickers while closely monitoring a drug supply gang in the Kathmandu Valley.

They were arrested near the Balakumari bridge in Ward No. 32 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City while bringing and selling hashish heroin from Basmatiya, India, to the Kathmandu Valley.

When the individuals involved in the trafficking attempted to escape, they attacked the police team. After the police fired two warning shots in the air and requested them to stop, they did not stop and fled, leading the team to fire shots to apprehend them.

Kishor Prasad Ojhaiya, 39, from Ward No. 4 of Paterwa Suguali Rural Municipality in Parsa, was injured by police gunfire. He sustained a gunshot wound to the lower part of his right leg. Ojhaiya has been taken to the National Trauma Center for treatment, informed the Bureau's spokesperson and Superintendent of Police, Durga Raj Regmi.

In addition to Ojhaiya, the police have also taken into custody two other individuals involved in the trafficking. Those arrested include Ashok Bhul, 25, from Ward No. 5 of Tikapur Municipality in Kailali, and Niraj Kumar Mandal, 20, from Ward No. 3 of Rajgadh Rural Municipality in Saptari. The arrested individuals were found with 300 grams of hashish heroin and 4 mobile phones.

According to police records, Kishor Prasad Ojhaiya, injured by gunfire, is a 'chronic' trafficker who has previously served 3 years in prison and paid a fine of Rs 104,000 for drug-related offenses. He was released from Nakhkhu Jail only on December 17, 2024 (Bikram Sambat). The Narcotics Control Bureau has launched further investigation into all three arrested individuals.