Police have arrested two suspects believed to be involved in a string of armed robberies and murders in Rupandehi since 2011.

The duo—Chanaru Hajari Pasawan, 60, and Dipak Bishwokarma, 47, of Sarlahi district— were paraded before the media at the Butwal Area Police Office on Tuesday.

They were arrested recently in possession of some gold jewellery and mobile sets that police suspect were robbed.

Pasawan and Bishwokarma have been linked with at least five incidents of murder and 20 incidents of armed robbery, police said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mukunda Marasini said while Pasawan had direct involvement in the incidents of murder and robbery, Bishwokarma had played the role of an accomplice.

Two other suspects are on the run, he added.

An investigation team, led by DSP Marasini, was formed after a series of armed robberies and murders with similar nature started to occur in Rupandehi.

Most of the incidents took place during the festivals like Teej, Dashain and Tihar, and the victims were mostly elderly women and new mothers.

The first incident, an armed robbery, took place in October, 2011, in which a 75-year-old woman was robbed. The gang then would go on a spree of robberies and murders until their run stopped two months ago, after they robbed a woman in Devdaha.

DSP Marasini said the gang was responsible for the murders of Netra Kumari Basnet of Tilottama, Chandra Bahadur Kunwar of Rudrapur Pratappur, Ranamaya Pun of Rudrapur Chapa, and Chandrakala Sapkota and  Namkala Pandey of Devdaha.

Police believe the terror caused by the gang in the district has ended with the arrest of Pasawan and Bishwokarma.