Twenty-five tiger teeth, a rhino horn, and hooves disappeared from Bardiya National Park’s storage. Ashok Bhandari, the new park warden, discovered this issue. The previous warden, Bishnu Prasad Shrestha, also knew about the missing items during his time but didn’t report it to the authorities. Shrestha denied awareness of the disappearance, claiming everything was intact when he left. The National Parks Department only learned about the problem on October 8, 2022, after Shrestha had been transferred.
To investigate, a committee led by Manoj Shah was formed, including members from the Ministry of Law, Nepali Army, and the Central Investigation Bureau. The committee suggested suspending and probing storekeeper Senior Game Scout Subhash Kumar Tharu and Game Scout Upar Singh Lama. However, instead of suspension, the department transferred them. Lama was moved to Shivpuri National Park, and Tharu received a post in Bardia. Despite this, the investigation committee recommended keeping them under surveillance for further investigation.
