Nepali Police yet to apprehend robbers, caution is advised during hiking
Kathmandu – kids and adults alike are making a trend to go for a hike. Recently, many fearful incidents have made this trend a dreadful one. The police reported that there is continuous looting during hiking. They have yet to capture the looters, reminding the hikers not to wander in the wilderness in small groups.
On Asar 15, 13 individuals were hiking to Champa Devi, located over 16 kilometers to the south in Dakshinkali Municipality.
Around 9 am, when the group reached Champa Devi, they were robbed by four unidentified groups on the site. The robbers fled the scene after they looted 11 mobiles and money from them.
According to the Kathmandu Police spokesperson Navaraj Adhikari, police face challenges to capture them as they keep on changing their locations after they loot. He says, ‘They keep on changing the location. This makes our investigation long. But we will receive results eventually.’
He refused to make the location public as they believed it might pamper the investigation.
Another incident occurred on Saturday morning when a group of six people, from Balaju and Tokha, set out for a hike to Shivapuri, approximately 10 kilometers north of Budhanilkantha Municipality-1, Bagdwar. Around 10:30 am, they reached near Bagdwar of Budhanilkantha Municipality-1. A group of four unidentified robbers looted them of their mobile and money.
According to the bystanders, the group showed knives and tied the victims’ hands with ropes before carrying out the robbery. Afterwards, the victims informed the police. A police team arrived at the scene around noon. They said, “When we arrived there, the perpetrators tied our hands with ropes, the leader was wearing a black mask.”
The officials said that the group responsible for the robbery is still at large, and further investigations are underway.
The spokesperson of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Office, SSP Dinesh Raj Mainali, stated that he has cautioned hikers not to go for hiking this time around. He mentioned that if they want to go hiking, they are advised to go in large groups for their safety. He also says, ‘Forming larger groups will be safer. Some hiking places neither have a signal nor a proper way.’