Police arrest ex-DIG Chhabi in cooperative scam

Former Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Chhabilal Joshi has been arrested in the cooperate fund embezzlement scam involving crores of rupees. Meanwhile, the Kaski district court has permitted the police to keep DIG Joshi in custody for five days for carrying out investigation into his alleged involvement in misappropriation of cooperative fund.

The single bench of Judge Chandrakanta Paudel issued the permission on Monday for the police, according to Mohan Bahadur Thapa, Superintendent of Police and chief of the Kaski district police office.

Fifty nine year old Joshi is also the former director of Surya Darshan Saving and Credit Cooperatives based in Pokhara.

After arresting Joshi from Sankhamul in Kathmandu on the charge of misappropriation of the fund in Surya Darshan the police had brought him to Pokhara on Sunday night for investigation.

Meanwhile, the activists of the Rastriya Swotantra Party (RSP) have staged a demonstration at Shahid Chowk in Pokhara district against the reported attempt to arrest party chairman and former Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane in the cooperative scam. The agitating workers and leaders of the RSP have claimed that there was a “political conspiracy aimed at framing Lamichhane.”

The leaders-activists of the party had gathered and protested at Shahid Chowk, Pokhara, on the call of RSP Gandaki Province committee. The participants in the demonstration carried placards with slogans written in support of cooperative victims and protesting against the government.

A parliamentary probe committee, formed to investigate the misappropriation of cooperative funds has concluded that Rs 650 million was invested illegally in Gorkha Media Pvt Ltd from various co-operatives including Surya Darshan. The committee had recommended action against Rabi Lamichhane, the then Managing Director of Gorkha Media, chairman GB Rai, director Kumar Ramtel and member Chhabilal Joshi.  There are unconfirmed reports that the Home Ministry has directed the Kaski Police to arrest Lamichhane in the cooperative scam.