63 Manang locals held in connection with murder of seven Yarsagumba pickers

Police have rounded up 63 locals of Nar village, Manang district, in connection with the brutal murder of seven Yarsagumba pickers from Gorkha district.

They were arrested over the past few days since the murder case was revealed, reports quoting local police said. The murder, which reportedly took place on June 10, was known to the police and the media only on July 2nd due to the remoteness of the area.

Over 2,000 people from various parts of Gorakha district had gone to Manang to collect Yarsagumba two months ago and seven of them had been missing.

Some of those arrested have admitted their involvement in the murder of the seven persons. They confessed that five bodies were thrown into Nar Khola after being killed while two others died as they fell off the cliff while trying to run away.

Police officials believe that the murder was the result of a turf war for Yarsagumba, a costly 'natural aphrodisiac', which is found in the mountain slopes. Yarsagumba trade runs into tens of millions of rupees in the district every season. nepalnews.com jul 06 09