Five Charged in Vandalism, Arson, and Looting Case at Nepali Media House Owner's Residence

Five individuals have been charged in the District Court of Kathmandu for vandalism, arson, and looting at the residence of Sambhav Sirohiya in Mandikatar, Kathmandu. According to the complaint filed by Sirohiya and the police report, the damage caused by the looting and arson amounts to approximately NPR 14.64 crore. A case has been filed against five individuals in the District Court of Kathmandu for the robbery.

The Kathmandu District Government Attorney's Office has filed a case against 35-year-old Sujan Dangol of Kathmandu, 35-year-old Bibek Thapa, 33-year-old Gopal Thapa of Dhading, 25-year-old Rojis Ghimire of Gorkha, and 30-year-old Prajwal Rogu of Mahalaxmi Municipality-3, Dhankuta, under the charge of 'Criminal Offence and Theft'.

An unruly group, under the pretext of the 'Genji Movement' on Bhadra 24, entered Sirohiya's house, carrying out vandalism and arson. From around 1 PM until 10 PM, a group of protestors targeted the residence of Sambhav Sirohiya in Mandikatar, Kathmandu-4.

The mob entered the house compound and set fire to luxury vehicles parked there. The arson completely destroyed a Diplomat car with registration Ba.Pra.01-030 Cha. 0514, a Jaguar with Ba. 17 Cha. 5678, a Hyundai with Pra. 3-01-023 Cha. 223, and a Land Rover Discovery car with Ba.Pra.03-001 Cha. 0444.

According to the indictment, 35 tolas of gold, 20 pieces of silver jewelry, and 31 kg of silver coins were looted from Sirohiya's house. Additionally, household items including 8 sofa sets, a dining table, laptops, cameras, and valuable furniture were stolen.

During the investigation, the police recovered a large quantity of silver coins from the accused individuals' rooms. This included historical 'Edward VII' inscribed coins, currencies from various countries, gold-like medallions, earrings, and cameras. The accused admitted that the recovered approximately 18 kg of silver coins and other jewelry were looted from Sirohiya's house.

The group involved in the looting divided the silver coins among themselves. According to the indictment, they handed over about 18 kg of the looted silver coins to the police through Bikram Gurung, the chairman of the Chakrapth Youth Club, as they could not hide them. However, the remaining coins and valuables were hidden by them in their respective rented rooms.

The police investigation team recovered the looted items after searching the rooms of the arrested defendants. From Sujan Dangol's room, the police recovered 13 silver coins inscribed with 'Kantipur', a coin featuring Radha-Krishna, and other historical coins.

Similarly, from Gopal Thapa's room, 33 silver coins inscribed with 'Kantipur', archaeological silver coins inscribed with George Viking Emperor and Victoria Empress, and a silver locket were recovered.

In addition, the police recovered 404 silver coins inscribed with 'Kantipur', a Sony handycam, and various metal ornaments from Bibek Thapa's room, and a Nikon camera from Prajwal Rogu's room.

The defendant Rojis Ghimire admitted to knowingly purchasing the looted silver items and melting down approximately 10 tolas of silver coins to make three chains. Based on the statement of Bibek Thapa, who was involved in the looting, the police searched Ghimire's gold and silver shop and recovered 9 coins.

The Public Prosecutor's Office has demanded action against defendants Sujan Dangol, Bibek Thapa, Gopal Thapa, and Prajwal Rogu under Section 285 (Criminal Disturbance) and Section 241 (Theft) of the Muluki Criminal Code, 2074.

A penalty of up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of up to NPR 50,000 has been demanded for the offense of criminal disturbance by committing arson under Section 285 (3) (d), and up to 3 years imprisonment and a fine of up to NPR 30,000 for the offense of theft under Section 242 (2).

Likewise, Rojis Ghimire, who purchased/kept the stolen goods, has been charged under Section 246 (a), with a demand for 3 years imprisonment and a fine of NPR 30,000 under Section 242 (2).