Police in Nawalparasi Purba district have submitted a report to the District Attorney’s Office recommending charges against 35 individuals, including a sitting lawmaker, for allegedly embezzling over Rs 166.8 million from the Chhipchhpe Users Cooperative.
The cooperative, located in Kawasoti Municipality-3, is said to have fallen victim to a large-scale financial fraud. According to Superintendent of Police Narahari Regmi of the District Police Office, the investigation points towards embezzlement of depositors’ savings.
Among those named in the report is lawmaker Gita Basnet, a member of the House of Representatives belonging to the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and elected from Bardiya district. Others implicated include her brother-in-law Nagendra Babu Rimal, Yogendra Pandey, the former manager of the cooperative, and Gopi Krishna Sharma, the current chairperson.
Presently, 10 of the accused are in police custody. However, authorities are actively searching for the remaining 25 individuals, including Basnet, who are currently at large.
The investigation, conducted jointly by the police and the cooperative registrar’s office, suggests Yogendra Pandey, who served as the chairperson for seven years, might be the key player behind the embezzlement scheme. Superintendent Regmi revealed that Pandey allegedly issued loans to his close associates without requiring any collateral, facilitating the misappropriation of funds.
The District Attorney’s Office will now review the police report and decide on the next course of action, which could include filing formal charges against the accused.
