KATHMANDU: Bharat Jangam, the former Chair of Sai Swagat Cooperative Society in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, has been arrested on charges of embezzling savings from the cooperative.
The arrest was made on Friday by the District Police Range, Kathmandu, as part of an investigation into the fraudulent activities at the cooperative.
According to Kathmandu Police spokesperson SP Nawaraj Adhikari, Jangam’s arrest follows an ongoing probe into the financial misconduct at Sai Swagat Cooperative.
The investigation, launched on Sunday, is focused on the embezzlement of funds from the cooperative, which involved key figures, including Jangam and former vice chair Nikita Poudel, who is married to Rabi Lamichhane, the Chair Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).
Jangam, Poudel, and other office bearers reportedly left the cooperative after forming a new board of directors, following the embezzlement scandal.
Lamichhane had previously taken a Rs 5 million loan from the cooperative to cover expenses related to his wedding with Nikita Poudel, which took place after their court marriage in 2017.
The loan was used to fund their wedding banquet at a luxury hotel in Nagarkot.
The involvement of Poudel, who held a leadership role in the cooperative at the time, is now under investigation as authorities examine the financial dealings and potential irregularities connected to the embezzlement case.
The police have yet to clarify the extent of her involvement in the fraudulent activities at the cooperative.
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