Police expediting investigation into Lalita Niwas Land grab scam

KATHMANDU, APRIL 8: The  Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police is actively pursuing the investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab scam. They have secured arrest warrants against four former ministers who are suspected of being involved in the scam.

The scam involves the embezzlement of 143 ropanis of the Lalita Niwas- the government-owned land in Baluwatar- from 2049 BS to 2069 BS. The land was fraudulently transferred into private ownership through forgery.

The Supreme Court of Nepal recently issued an order instructing the investigation of individuals directly responsible for decision-making at the Council of Ministers level, as well as those who certified and implemented these decisions. The court also mandated the investigation of those who escalated the proposals to higher levels of authority.

Consequently, the CIB has obtained arrest warrants for several former ministers, including Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, Sanjay Kumar Shah, Chandra Dev Joshi, and Dambar Bahadur Shrestha. The Inspector General of Police, Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, has acknowledged the Supreme Court's order and has engaged in discussions with the Attorney General and other government officials to address the matter.

As of now, 23 individuals have been arrested in connection with the scam. While three of them have been released through habeas corpus, the remaining 20 individuals are still in custody for further investigation, according to Nawaraj Adhikari, the Superintendent of Police at the CIB.

The investigation appears to be gaining momentum as the Nepal Police work to uncover the extent of the alleged corruption and fraudulent activities related to the Lalita Niwas land grab scam.