A French national was arrested at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu Wednesday afternoon as he was found carrying an air pistol in his baggage.
Frederic Lenain, 40, a cross-country cyclist, was found with the air pistol when security officials checked his baggage, according to police. He was trying to board a Nepal Airlines flight to Bangkok.
Police said the Frenchman has admitted possessing the weapon along with some pellets used in it but he claimed that the air pistol was meant for protecting himself from wild animals during his cycling tour. Lenain came to Nepal cycling through Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.
He has been taken to Hanumandhoka Police Office for further investigation.