Abhishek Giri Arrested Again for Extortion and Criminal Activities

Biratnagar. A dangerous figure who runs 'Giri Foundation' under the guise of social service in the outside society and seeks shelter in the shadow of politics, but behind the curtain has built a parallel empire of kidnapping, extortion, murder, and recovery, has once again come to the court of law.

Nepali Congress leader Abhishek Giri, who previously served a 9-year prison sentence for kidnapping and hostage cases, is once again in the police net. As soon as he was arrested by the police, former inmates who were victims of him are now actively providing information to the police-administration about his misdeeds.

On Saturday morning, Asar 13, a team from the District Police Office, Morang, took the 48-year-old Giri into custody from his residence in Biratnagar-8, Madhumara. During the operation, a money-counting machine was also recovered from his house. Subsequently, the security agencies have prepared a detailed report of his crimes and illegal financial empire.

It is revealed that Giri, not only while in jail but also after his release, maintained unauthorized control over the internal administration and financial cycle of the prison, running an illegal business worth billions, in a manner that mocks the state machinery.

According to the victims, Abhishek Giri had turned Morang Jail not into a correctional facility but into his personal business center and torture chamber. Upon entering the prison, new inmates had to face Giri's terrible torture.

Specifically, 'Room Number 13' of the prison was used by Giri as a cruel torture chamber. As soon as new inmates were placed there, extreme physical and mental torture would begin. Those who did not comply were beaten with pipes on their soles. To escape torture and live a normal life inside the prison, the families of the inmates had to compulsorily pay a large sum of money to Giri. For this, Giri had implemented a 'Salami system' inside the jail.

According to this system, upon entering the prison, inmates had to compulsorily pay a 'salami' ranging from ten thousand rupees to one lakh rupees, depending on their status. Furthermore, based on the financial condition and family status of the inmates, Giri used to demand a monthly ransom of fifty thousand to one lakh rupees, and former inmates are informing the police-administration that if not paid, they would be subjected to extreme beatings and torture inside the jail.

It has also come to light that Giri has been involved in massive embezzlement of the daily allowance of eighty rupees given by the government to inmates and their rations. It is claimed by sources that Giri used to save seven hundred grams of rice per person per day from the rations meant for inmates and sell the saved rice in the market, pocketing an estimated ten lakh rupees monthly.

From the seven telephones operated inside the prison, he used to make a net profit of over seven lakh fifty thousand rupees monthly. Sources claim that Giri used to take approximately ninety lakh rupees annually directly out of the country from this. 'It has been found that inmates were charged seven rupees per minute for making phone calls to relatives,' said a security official involved in the investigation. 'Telecom charges one rupee per minute. An additional six rupees had to be paid to Giri.'

Inmates were forced to buy goods at double the market price from the grocery store operated under Giri's control inside the prison. Even when bringing new clothes or food items brought by relatives from outside into the prison, Giri's men had to be paid a separate fee. The income generated from the sale of mats and carpets woven by inmates through their labor, and even the government allowance for inmates, directly reached Giri's personal bank account through the vegetable supplier, according to preliminary investigations.

The investigation has revealed that the biggest and most dangerous source of Abhishek Giri's income is the 'meter-interest' racket. He used to mentally pressure inmates inside the prison and force them to create fake promissory notes and checks for loans of lakhs and crores of rupees, backdated to before they were imprisoned. Based on these forcibly signed promissory notes and checks within the jail, Giri's associates outside used to recover land and property from the victims' families.

• Unstoppable Crime Spree

Looking at the details of Giri's criminal activities collected by the police, the spread of his criminal empire appears quite terrifying. His criminal history began in 2065 BS with the murder of Karan Yadav in a dispute over tender contracts in Biratnagar, for which a case of murder was registered against him, although he was later acquitted. Immediately after that, in 2066 BS, while imprisoned in Jhumka Jail, Giri was accused of orchestrating a shooting attack on another don from Biratnagar, Parshuram Basnet, by mobilizing his associates outside.

In 2068 BS, the Department of Money Laundering Investigation filed a case in the Special Court against Giri for allegedly acquiring illegal assets worth 2 crore 94 lakh rupees.

In addition, in 2070 BS, Giri was arrested on charges of kidnapping Achyut Prasad Regmi, an employee of Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Corporation, and demanding a ransom of 10 lakh rupees, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the court. Even while serving his sentence in Central Jail, Giri used to threaten businessmen and planned the kidnapping of Kathmandu businessman Dhyan Govinda Vaidya from inside the prison, after which he was transferred to Nuwakot Jail.

While in Nuwakot, he collaborated with the international criminal gang Chhota Rajan group to extort money from businessmen by threatening them through call bypass. In 2074 BS, he was transferred to Dillibazar Jail after being accused of extreme torture and extortion of inmates.

After being released in Chaitra 2079 BS, having served approximately 9 years of his jail sentence, Giri staged a drama of social service to improve his image. He established an organization called Giri Foundation and propagated that he was helping the poor and needy. Under this guise, he became active in Nepali Congress politics and, under the protection of top party leaders, became the undeclared election commander for the Biratnagar region, but his underground dealings had not changed one bit. Recently, irregularities in the distribution of approximately 13 lakh 40 thousand rupees of summer allowance meant for 536 inmates of Morang Jail brought Giri's role to the fore again, and the police arrested him from his residence.

According to the details prepared by the security agencies, Giri's financial investment areas are quite extensive. Sources indicate that Giri has benami investments in Annapurna Oil Suppliers located in Kathaharu-4, under the name of Arpana Tuladhar. Additionally, Giri has investments in about 200 city safaris in Biratnagar, from which money is collected daily. Giri was actively behind the scenes of the protest that blocked the Koshi road in Bhadra 2081 BS.

Investigations have revealed that he has purchased over 10 ropanis of land in the names of relatives for the operation of a grand house in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, resorts in Bhedetar, Dhankuta, and Ramite, Morang. He has direct investments in 25 tippers and a crusher industry, where meter-interest rackets are run by making contractors take advance checks. Security sources claim that he always carries a special type of revolver, and his associate Deepak Karki has one, with a total of 3 weapons in his house.

The most astonishing fact is that transactions exceeding 5.5 crore rupees have been observed in Giri's personal bank account in just the last one and a half months. Such a large amount of financial activity in the account of a person with no apparent source of income and recently released from jail clearly demonstrates how strong and active his illegal recovery network is.

The police have taken Giri along with his main associates, office assistant Shivachandra Yadav, vegetable supplier Vijay Kamat, Binod Singh, and arms manager Deepak Karki into custody, extended their remand from the District Court Morang, and initiated a detailed investigation into criminal breach of trust and organized crime.

The arrest of Abhishek Giri, who has been running a parallel power by manipulating the prison administration, political leadership, and law for years, and the exposure of his misdeeds have raised questions about prison reform and the state's security system.

Various Forms of Recovery Racket

• Upon entering the prison, a mandatory 'salami' ranging from ten thousand rupees to one lakh rupees had to be paid, depending on the status.
• Based on the financial condition of the inmates, a monthly ransom of fifty thousand to one lakh rupees was demanded. If not paid, they would be subjected to extreme beatings and torture inside the jail.
• Saving seven hundred grams of rice per person per day and selling the surplus rice in the market, earning ten lakh rupees monthly.
• Earning ninety lakh rupees annually by charging seven rupees per minute from the seven telephones kept inside the prison.
• Inmates were forced to buy goods from the grocery store inside the prison at double the market price.
• A separate fee had to be paid to Giri's men even when bringing new clothes or food items brought by relatives from outside into the prison.
• Income from the sale of mats and carpets woven by inmates through their labor, and even the government allowance for inmates, directly reached Giri's personal bank account through the vegetable supplier.
• Meter-interest and fake promissory note schemes.

Giri's Two and a Half Decades

• 2065 BS: A murder case was registered against Giri following a dispute over tender contracts in Biratnagar involving Karan Yadav. However, he was later acquitted by the court.
• 2066 BS: While imprisoned in Jhumka Jail, Giri mobilized his associates outside to carry out a shooting attack on another don from Biratnagar, Parshuram Basnet.
• 2066-2067 BS: Due to a dispute over illegal financial partnership and contract work worth approximately 11 crore rupees with Parshuram Basnet at that time, a long period of gang war and killings ensued between the two groups.
• 2068 BS: The Department of Money Laundering Investigation filed a case in the Special Court against Giri for allegedly acquiring illegal assets worth 2 crore 94 lakh rupees.
• 2070 BS: Giri was arrested on charges of kidnapping Achyut Prasad Regmi, an employee of Kathmandu Valley Water Supply Corporation, and demanding a ransom of 10 lakh rupees, and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by the court.
• 2070-2071 BS: Even while serving his sentence in Central Jail, Giri used to threaten businessmen and planned the kidnapping of Kathmandu businessman Dhyan Govinda Vaidya from inside the prison, after which he was transferred to Nuwakot Jail. While in Nuwakot, he collaborated with the international criminal gang Chhota Rajan group to extort money from businessmen by threatening them through call bypass.