Conservationists are alarmed after several convicts serving prison terms for rhino poaching and trafficking in rhino parts escaped during last month's Gen Z protests. Among the fugitives is Bindar Singh Praja, a notorious offender who had been on the run for 11 years before his arrest -- and has now escaped once again.
According to the Department of Prison Management, 12 inmates convicted of rhino poaching fled from, while at least three others escaped from other prisons. Five of the fugitives were serving the maximum sentences handed down under Nepal's wildlife crime laws.
The incident has reignited fears that political instability could once again threaten wildlife conservation efforts. Historical records show that during the Maoist insurgency (1996-2006) and the state of emergency, poaching reached unprecedented levels, killing many rhinos in a single year. Similar surges occurred following the 2006 political movement.
The country's current volatile political situation, coupled with major festivals like Dashain and Tihar -- when surveillance often weakens -- has raised further concern among conservationists.
In November, 2023, two rhinos were found dead in Chitwan National Park, their horns brutally removed by poachers. Authorities confirmed that traffickers had killed them for their valuable horns, used illegally in international markets. Although no new poaching incidents have been reported since, the fact that key planners behind that crime have now escaped from prison poses a renewed threat to the country's rhino conservation success.
Rhino poacher arrested after 11 years flees again
Bindar Singh Praja, also known as Sagar, a convicted rhino poacher long wanted by authorities, has once again escaped from prison. His name tops the list of fugitives recently issued by the Department of Prison Management, following the mass jailbreak during the Gen Z uprising.
Sagar was convicted in one of the country's most notorious wildlife crime cases. The Chitwan National Park had filed a case against him in 2010 for killing a one-horned rhino and selling its horn. Though the park's court sentenced him to 15 years in prison and fined him Rs100,000 in 2015, he had already gone into hiding. He managed to evade capture for 11 years before being arrested in 2021 from the Ghansikuwa area of Tanahun district.
Authorities claim that Sagar had been active in rhino poaching since 2004 and was accused of killing several rhinos. The 15 years prison sentence and Rs100,000 penalty handed to him was the maximum punishment for rhino poaching. Amendments to the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act later increased the maximum fine for rhino poaching to Rs1 million.