NC leader questions govt silence on Rs 250 million currency seizure

KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader Ramhari Khatiwada has raised serious concerns regarding the government’s reluctance to identify the real owner of Rs 250 million worth of illegal foreign currency seized from Tokha, Kathmandu, on March 18.

Speaking during Monday’s session of the House of Representatives, Khatiwada, who also chairs the State Affairs Committee, criticized the government for limiting arrests to drivers and laborers while the actual masterminds remain unidentified and unpunished.

“A few months ago, the government seized Rs 250 million in illegal foreign currency from Tokha. A driver and a businessman were arrested and detained,” Khatiwada said. “But who was the one protecting and financing this operation? Why hasn’t the main culprit been identified? It’s always the drivers and loaders who get jailed while the real owners go unpunished. The government must clarify the entire network involved in this incident to the parliament.”

Khatiwada expressed frustration that the authorities, including the police, have failed to provide concrete answers about the ownership of the Rs 250.29 million seized.

Following the seizure, police detained Kusang Lama, also known as “Phuchche,” the driver of the truck used to transport the money. He is currently in pre-trial detention.

However, on March 21, the Department of Revenue Investigation identified Narayan Paudel of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality–4, Sindhupalchok, as the alleged owner of the cash. Paudel is the elder brother of Rajkumar Paudel, the former chair of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality, who was implicated in a 22-kg gold smuggling case in 2018.

According to the Nepal Police’s Kathmandu Crime Investigation Office, the cash was recovered from Jhor on March 17. Authorities revealed that Narayan Paudel was also previously convicted in cases related to illegal foreign currency exchange and red sandalwood smuggling.

Khatiwada urged the government to investigate and disclose all individuals and networks involved in the case, including those with political and cross-border ties.