Kathmandu: 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 ropani of Lalita Niwas land.

Organizing a press conference here Wednesday, Senior Superintendent of Police at CIB, Dinesh Acharya, shared about persons involved in embezzlement of public land by forging document. Acharya shared that Gurung and his family owned more than 29 ropani of Lalita Niwas land. Others have four to five ropani, he added.

Another arrested in this connection, Sudhir Kumar Shah, had usurped five ropani of Lalita Niwas land when he was a section officer at Land Revenue Office, Bhaktapur. Police took under control Gurung, Shah, Dharma Prasad Gautam and Gopal Karki. 

However, three others arrested in this regard were released after stay order from the Supreme Court yesterday. The SC had ordered government to continue investigation by keeping them out of detention. Those to be released were Kaladhar Deuja, Surendra Man Kapali, and Hapindra Mani KC. Deuja was then chief of Land Revenue Office, Dillibazar and Kapali employee there.

The investigation had shown that the Lalit Niwas land in Baluwatar, which was public property, was transferred to ownerships of various persons from 2049BS to 2069BS. The CIB has continued investigation to this end.

Earlier, CIB had submitted a report to the District Attorney Office, Kathmandu by making defendants to 300 persons. But, the District Attorney had stopped forwarding the investigation. 

Meanwhile, a case filed by CIAA in this regard is under consideration at the special court.