Jhapa. Rewati Khanal, former president of Patalaga Savings and Credit Cooperative Society in Birtamod, has been arrested on charges of misappropriating savings in the cooperative society.
District Police Office Anarmani Deputy Superintendent of Police Bijay Shrestha informed that Khanal was arrested from Dhangadhi and brought to Jhapa. He said that Khanal will be produced before the District Court in Jhapa today.
Khanal had absconded on Bhadra 23, 2078 BS after taking out a loan of Rs. 20 million, 68 thousand 383 in the names of himself, his wife, brother, sister and maternal uncle. On Kartik 16, 2078 BS, the organization’s vice-chairman, Tka Prasad Bhetwal, had filed a complaint against Khanal at the Area Police Office, Anarmani.
Patalaga Cooperative has more than 1,500 members. Yubaraj Giri, who was elected president after Khanal absconded after embezzling members’ savings, said that the depositors’ money was being returned with the money withdrawn by mortgaged private real estate banks.
The Jhapa District Court had issued a summons to appear in the name of the five accused in the case on Mangsir 14, 2079 BS. Khanal’s sister, Goma Khanal Bhandari, a resident of Birtamod Municipality-2, and his maternal uncle, Anantajivan Luintel, a resident of Bhadrapur Municipality-8, were arrested.
Goma Khanal Bhandari and Anantajivan Luintel were released on bail of Rs 150,000 and Rs 75,000, respectively, as per the court order. Police are currently searching for Khanal’s wife Kamaladevi Bhattarai and brother Sitaram Khanal, according to the statement.
The police are also investigating the directors and employees of other cooperatives who were arrested on charges of misappropriating the cooperative’s savings in Jhapa. Jeevan Bhujel, the head of the Shivagunj-based service center of Hamro Nepal Savings and Credit Cooperative, headquartered in Birtamod, was arrested by the police last Chaitra on charges of embezzling Rs 33.54 million. The cooperative itself had filed a police complaint against Bhujel.
Similarly, Suman Khanal, chairman of Unnati Savings and Credit Cooperative in Shivasatakshi Municipality-3, and Mitra Lal Bhattarai, manager, were arrested last Kartik on charges of embezzling the cooperative’s savings.
A police complaint was filed alleging that Chairman Khanal and Manager Bhattarai had colluded to embezzle Rs 13.97 million of savings deposited by the general public in the cooperative. The case is currently pending in the Jhapa District Court.
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