KATHMANDU: Police have seized a massive haul of illegal shaligram stones in Mustang district.
Acting on a tip-off, the District Police Office at Chhusang Check Post in Baragung Muktikshetra-3 intercepted a Bolero jeep (Ga 3 Cha 8152) carrying 894 kg of shaligrams packed in 34 white sacks.
According to Police Inspector Bishal Adhikari, Information Officer at the District Police Office, the stones were being transported from Ghami in Lo-Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-3 toward Jomsom. The driver, 41-year-old Kunsang Renjing Gurung of Surkhang in Loghekar Damodarkunda-5, was allegedly transporting the sacred stones without legal authorization.
The jeep, driver, and seized shaligrams have been handed over to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) Office in Jomsom. Rajesh Gupta, Chief of ACAP Jomsom, confirmed that the case has now been forwarded to the project’s head office in Pokhara for further investigation.
Shaligrams, found along the Kaligandaki River and Damodarkund area, are considered sacred in Hinduism as symbols of Lord Vishnu. While individuals are permitted to take shaligrams for personal religious use, commercial transport in large quantities is strictly prohibited.
Authorities have expressed concern over the growing exploitation of these stones following the expansion of road infrastructure and rising tourism in Mustang.
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