KATHMANDU, Nepal – A tiger trafficker wanted internationally under an INTERPOL Red Notice has been arrested at Kathmandu airport following cross border police collaboration between India and Nepal via INTERPOL channels.
Lodu Dime, aged 40, was convicted in absentia by Nepalese authorities following the seizure of wildlife products in Nepal during INTERPOL’s Operation Prey IV in 2013. The seizures included five tiger skins and 114 kg of tiger bones allegedly destined for China.
The suspect fled Nepal in 2013, triggering a request by the country’s authorities for INTERPOL to help locate and facilitate his arrest. After a complex investigation, Nepal requested an INTERPOL Red Notice against Mr Dime in January 2018.
It was the publication of the Red Notice which six weeks later triggered the suspect’s detection at New Delhi airport by immigration police during his transit.
Once alerted, the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi instantly informed NCB Kathmandu of the suspect’s intention to travel to Nepal, resulting in Mr Dime’s 5 March arrest by Nepalese police at Tribhuwan International Airport.
“What we have achieved with the arrest of Lodu Dime is a testament to how police forces in different countries can draw on INTERPOL resources to share information and coordinate beyond national boundaries to track down fugitives no matter where they hide,” said Mr. Prakash Aryal, Inspector General of Police, Head of NCB Kathmandu.
“The INTERPOL Red Notice played a critical role in the detection and subsequent arrest of this notorious wildlife criminal, highlighting the power of international police cooperation via INTERPOL,” added the Inspector General.
Congratulating the NCBs in Nepal and India on this joint success, INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services Tim Morris said: “This arrest of an internationally wanted fugitive illustrates how INTERPOL’s NCB network is the backbone of international police cooperation. Each of our 192 NCBs serves as a critical gateway to global investigations and data exchange.”
INTERPOL’s activities to investigate and disrupt wildlife crime networks operating in Asia, including Operation Prey, fall under its Project Predator. The project aims to support and enhance law enforcement capacity for the conservation of Asian big cats and is primarily funded by the US Agency for International Development.
الأخبار ذات الصلة بالموضوع
نداء دولي يتيح تحديد هوية سيدة بريطانية قُتلت في بلجيكا
١٤ نوفمبر، ٢٠٢٣
