KATHMANDU: A team from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) raided the Land Reform and Land Revenue Office in Chyamasingh, Bhaktapur on Tuesday following a complaint that a bribe was being demanded to issue a land ownership certificate under a tenant’s name.
According to CIAA spokesperson Rajendra Paudel, the commission had received a detailed complaint, including the large amount of money being demanded as a bribe. Acting on this, the CIAA team conducted a sting operation and arrested the office chief, Kumar Acharya, red-handed.
Along with Acharya, two other staff members—office assistant Tikaram Raut and section officer (Nayab Subba) Deepak Prasad Adhikari—were also taken into custody with the bribe amount of Rs 2.45 million in cash.
The complaint involved a land plot of 14 ropani and 4 aana in Changunarayan Municipality, where the officials were reportedly demanding bribes to register ownership under a tenant’s name.
Raut was caught in the act of receiving the money, and the others were arrested for their involvement in negotiating and accepting the bribe. CIAA confirmed that all three have been taken to its central office in Tangal for further investigation.
In addition to the cash, CIAA has also confiscated two mobile phones from Acharya and one from Adhikari as part of the ongoing inquiry.
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