June 29: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has claimed that proprietor of Bhatbhateni supermarket, Min Bahadur Gurung and his family owns more than 29 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land.    

Organizing a press conference on Wednesday, Senior Superintendent of Police at the CIB, Dinesh Acharya, shed light about those involved in transferring the ownership of public land in the name of individuals by forging documents. Acharya shared that Gurung and his family owned more than 29 ropanis of Lalita Niwas land. Others have four to five ropanis, he added.    

Another arrested in this connection with this case is Sudhir Kumar Shah, who allegedly usurped five ropanis of Lalita Niwas land when he was a section officer at the Land Revenue Office, Bhaktapur. Police took under control Gurung, Shah, Dharma Prasad Gautam and Gopal Karki for further investigation
However, three others arrested in this case were released after stay order from the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The SC had ordered the government to continue the investigation by keeping them out of detention. Those who were released were Kaladhar Deuja, Surendra Man Kapali, and Hapindra Mani KC. Deuja was the then chief of the Land Revenue Office, Dillibazar and Kapali was an employee there.    
Previous investigation had shown that the Lalit Niwas land in Baluwatar, which was public property, was transferred to the ownerships of various individuals from 2049 BS to 2069 BS.
Earlier, the CIB had submitted a report to the District Attorney Office, Kathmandu by making 300 people as defendants. But, the District Attorney did not forward the investigation.  Meanwhile, a case filed by CIAA in this regard is sub judice at the special court. -- RSS