Proprietor of Bhatbhateni franchise, Gurung, arrested

Kathmandu : Police have arrested Meen Bahadur Gurung, the proprietor of Bhatbhateni Super Market franchise, in connection with investigation into the Lalita Niwas scam.

A team from the Nepal Police, Central Investigation Bureau, apprehended Gurung from Kathmandu this morning, spokesperson for the Nepal Police Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat told RSS.

Police said they are conducting a 'special operation' in connection to the infamous Lalita Niwas land-grab scandal. The Nepal Police spokesperson said that the police are also looking for more persons suspected to be involved in the scandal.

The CIB had submitted a report to the Government Attorney's Office, naming 300 individuals as the defendants in this scandal. But the Office had returned the police investigation file, stating that further investigation was needed on this.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had also carried out its own investigation into this scam and filed cases at the Special Court against certain individuals, which is still under consideration by the Court. 

Police have pursued action on the charge of transferring the land at Lalita Niwas at Baluwatar which is under the government's ownership in the name of various individuals.