Police raided a “shelter” of an armed group in a forest at Ikhabu VDC-4 in Taplejung district and seized a cache of weapons overnight on Friday. The hideout had been used by the outfit that police claimed as a criminal group to provide military training.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shantiraj Koirala, the incident site is about one and half days’ walk from Phungling, the district headquarters of Taplejung.

There were nine people at the hideout when police raided the area. Mankumari Limbu, 31, was detained while the others managed to flee. Police seized four muskets, two pistols, some ammunitions and improvised explosive devices from the site. They also recovered identity cards, flags and some political documents in the name of Kirat Mulbasi Swatantra Limbuwan.

The security personnel reached the shelter at around 3:45am. A police officer involved in the operation said they had planned to nab the assailants without human casualty. Police had planned to fire warning shots into the air and make them surrender but it was not successful, the officer added.

Mankumari, a permanent resident of Santhakra VDC, was nabbed while she was hiding in a cave nearby. She claimed that she was brought into the shelter to take part in the group’s cultural function and had been detained against her wish. Police made her public along with the seized weapons at the District Police Office on Saturday.  

Deuman Limbu aka Harahang, according to police, is the commander of the group. Deuman and one of his bodyguards left for the village a day before the police raid. Police were informed that the commander possessed a pistol with nine rounds of bullet and his bodyguard had a musket.

Some political documents, including the record of the combatants, were recovered from the shelter. Police, however, claimed that it is just a criminal group involved in abduction, extortion and terrorising the locals.

Ten different cases have been filed against Deuman, a most wanted criminal on the police list, on charge of attempted murder, extortion, possession of illegal weapons, armed robbery and forgery.

“Deuman’s group has been terrorising people for long,” said DSP Koirala, adding that the group might have been planning to attack police post or other places of importance.