KATHMANDU: The Department of Money Laundering Investigation has frozen all assets of Nepali Congress (NC) Vice-President Bijay Kumar Gachhadar facing a corruption case in the Lalita Niwas land scam.

The department has frozen all the properties in the names of Gachhadar, his wife Nirmala Gachhadar, and their two sons following a preliminary investigation.

Sources said that the investigation team has been tipped-off that properties have been hidden in the name of other persons as well.

According to department sources, transactions and transfer of property including bank accounts, real estate, shares, vehicles in the name of Gachhadar and family have been banned.

Rup Narayan Bhattarai, Director General of Department of Money Laundering Investigation, said that Gachhadar’s assets were being investigated.

He, however, refused to provide further details.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on February 5 had filed a case against 110 people including Gachhadar in the controversial land scam while 65 persons and organizations were named defendants to regain the land.

CIAA had filed a case against him claiming that he had played a major role in squandering government land.

However, he has not still appeared before the court.