Kathmandu, June 27. A special police team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) has successfully apprehended five suspects in Kathmandu in connection with the Lalita Niwas land scam.

Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat informed reporters that the arrested individuals were former employees of the Inland Revenue Office, namely Kaladhar Deuja, Surendraman Kapali, Dharma Prasad Gautam, Hupendra Mani KC, and Gopal Karki.  “Kaladhar Deuja was the then chief of the revenue office,” Kadayat said.

Kadayat also confirmed that Min Bahadur Gurung, the proprietor of Bhatbhateni Super Market franchise, was also recently arrested in connection with the case. 

Media reports suggest that 143 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land were embezzled from 2049BS through 2069BS. The Lalita Niwas compound includes various official VIP residences, including the Prime Minister’s residence and the headquarters of Nepal Rastra Bank.

Revenue Investigation Bureau filed a revenue evasion suit

In January 2022, the Revenue Investigation Bureau filed a lawsuit for revenue evasion against ANSAN International Pvt Ltd and the audit firm Rajeswor and Company. The case was filed at the High Court Patan, accusing the companies of producing fraudulent value-added tax and financial information. The Bureau also demanded a fine of Rs 1.24 billion from the accused companies for their involvement in the Lalita Niwas scam.

CIB relaunched investigation

Following the revenue evasion suit, CIB announced the completion of a two-year inquiry into the land scam case. The bureau submitted its report to the district court of Patan, which reportedly includes the names of several high-profile Nepali individuals. 

After submitting the report, the CIB initiated another round of investigation into the case under the direction of the government attorney general.

By the end of 2021, the court had already issued arrest warrants for 300 people who face criminal charges in connection with the case.