Kathmandu: Three members of a banned armed group based in Nepal's Terai area were killed in an encounter near the southern plains bordering India.
According to the police, Bhuwaneshwar Yadav of Saptari district and two other cadres of Madheshi Mukti Tigers (MMT) were killed yesterday during an exchange of gunfire at Bairwa.
Two policemen sustained injuries during the incident.
Police claimed that the slain cadres were involved in several criminal activities and two blasts in the district last month.
However, the MMT has accused the police of killing their members at a time when it had announced unilateral ceasefire for the festive period of 'Dashain'.
The Nepalese government has intensified security in Kathmandu and various districts in the southern Terai regions ahead of the 'Vijaya Dashami' festival.
Meanwhile, one Manoj Shah (28) of Dhikpur Village Development Committee of Rukum district was arrested yesterday for carrying illegal weapons.
According to the police, Shah was involved in looting and extorting people at gunpoint during the festive season. One pistol and 10 rounds of bullets were recovered from him.
However, three of his accomplices managed to flee.
Various outfits have intensified extortion drive in Nepal's national highways by placing barricades during the festival period.
Bureau Report
First Published: Saturday, September 26, 2009, 15:10