Tiger Trafficker Arrested in Nepal
Lodu Dime, 40, had been convicted in absentia by Nepalese authorities after the seizure of wildlife products in Nepal during INTERPOL's Operation Prey IV in 2013.
A tiger trafficker wanted internationally under an INTERPOL Red Notice has been arrested at the Kathmandu, Nepal airport thanks to cross-border police collaboration between India and Nepal via INTERPOL channels, the international police agency reported March 12. Its report said Lodu Dime, 40, had been convicted in absentia by Nepalese authorities after 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 him and facilitate his arrest. After a complex investigation, Nepal requested an INTERPOL Red Notice against Dime in January 2018, and it was the publication of the Red Notice that triggered the suspect's detection at New Delhi airport by immigration police during his transit. The INTERPOL National Central Bureau in New Delhi informed the bureau in Kathmandu that Dime intended to travel to Nepal, resulting in his arrest March 5 by Nepalese police.
"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 Prakash Aryal, inspector general of police and 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."
INTERPOL's Executive Director of Police Services, Tim Morris, said the arrest "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."