Former Land Revenue Officer arrested following SC order; CIB seeks 16 other accused

KATHMANDU: Kaladhar Deuja, the former Land Revenue Officer of the Land Revenue Office, Dillibazar, was apprehended by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police in connection with the Lalita Niwas Land embezzlement case, following the Supreme Court’s order that canceled the earlier stay order.

The arrest took place on Friday at Deuja’s residence in Kathmandu, as confirmed by Senior Superintendent of Police Dinesh Acharya. Deuja had sought protection against detention during the investigation along with 16 others, including Tikaram Ghimire, by filing a petition in the Supreme Court.

Previously, Justice Ishwar Khatiwada had granted a stay order on August 4, 2022, which allowed them to remain out of custody during the investigation. However, a division bench comprising Justices Nahakul Subedi and Prakash Dhungana later dismissed the writ, leading to the activation of the CIB team to arrest them.

Notably, Hupendra Mani KC and Surendra Man Kapali, who were employees also arrested earlier under the same writ, were released due to the same court decision. The CIB is now actively pursuing the arrest of the remaining 16 accused individuals.