June 27: Five more individuals have been arrested in connection with the Lalita Niwas land procurement scam. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police made the arrests in different locations within Kathmandu.

Among the arrested individuals are Kaladhar Deuja, the former chief of the Inland Revenue Office in Dilli Bazar, Surendraman Kapali, Dharma Prasad Gautam, Hupendra Mani KC, and Gopal Karki, who were employees at the same office. 

Prior to these arrests, Meen Bahadur Gurung, the owner of the Bhatbhateni Super Market franchise, was also apprehended by the CIB as part of the investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab scam.

The Lalita Niwas land-grab scandal involves allegations of forgery related to the transfer of land ownership from Lalita Niwas in Baluwatar to individuals between the years 2049 BS and 2069 BS. The CIB had previously submitted a report to the Government Attorney's Office, identifying 300 individuals as defendants in the scandal.

 However, the investigation file was returned by the Office, which deemed further investigation necessary. The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has also conducted its own investigation into the scam and has filed cases against 175 individuals at the Special Court, which are currently under judicial review.