Three Arrested for Embezzling Funds from Bal Mandir
Kathmandu. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police is investigating the incident of embezzlement of funds from the Nepal Children's Organization and Bal Mandir.
The police have arrested 3 people for investigation. Those arrested include Asha Shrestha, 54, from Kathmandu Metropolitan City-11, Omkrishna Karmacharya, 62, from Lalitpur Metropolitan City-5 Thasikhel, and Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, 51, from Gokarneshwor Municipality Ward No.-1.
They have been arrested based on the recommendation of the high-level inquiry commission report-2077 led by former High Court judge Haribabu Bhattarai regarding the embezzlement of funds from the Children's Organization.
Preliminary investigation by the police has revealed that the accused embezzled funds from the Children's Organization for personal gain. CIB spokesperson (SSP) Anupam Shamsher Jabra told Ratopati that they were arrested on Asar 24 and are being investigated after obtaining a court order for fraud and criminal breach of trust.
Asha Shrestha was the head of the planning and scholarship branch of Bal Mandir. She was removed from her post based on the inquiry commission's report. It was found that Asha had taken double salary for 18 months while at Bal Mandir. The Children's Organization had corresponded with her to return the principal amount with 10 percent interest for the amount taken against the rules. Vidya Neupane, Chairperson of the Children's Organization, informed that Asha had said 'I will go through legal process' when corresponded with. She said, 'She appears to owe more than 2 lakh rupees to the Children's Organization.'
The government had appointed Vidya Neupane as the Chairperson of the Children's Organization in 2077 and given her the mandate to recover the embezzled assets. As per that mandate, the committee led by Neupane has recovered some of the embezzled amount. The CIB is investigating based on a letter from the Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security for those who refused to return the amount taken against the procedure.
Omkrishna Karmacharya was the then chairman of the Lalitpur district committee of the Children's Organization. Before 2077, there was a separate district committee in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur of the valley. Currently, the committees of all three districts have been removed and the management of children and assets there is being done from the central office. CIB SSP Jabra informed that the investigation has revealed that Karmacharya embezzled one and a half lakh rupees from the Children's Organization Lalitpur branch. Chairperson Vidya Neupane said that Omkrishna refused to return the amount taken against the procedure. He said, 'We had asked him to return the amount as well, he said he would go to court.'
Accused Rajendra Kumar Shrestha was the then secretary of the Kathmandu district committee of the Children's Organization. Shrestha was found to have purchased a car by withdrawing funds from the Children's Organization.
The Maruti Suzuki car bought with the Children's Organization's money has now been seized by the Children's Organization. However, the investigation has revealed that the car was purchased in Rajendra Kumar Shrestha's personal name with the organization's funds. An official involved in the investigation said, 'It appears that a car was bought in a person's name with office money.'
Shrestha has told investigating officers that he also took a loan from a cooperative to buy the car. The police are investigating that matter.
SSP Jabra informed that the investigation is only being conducted for those who have not returned the embezzled amount pointed out by the high-level inquiry commission. He said, 'It appears that the accused have used the organization's money for their private gain.'
The Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security had corresponded with the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate the embezzlement of funds from the Children's Organization. Based on the letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the accused were arrested after the Police Headquarters directed the CIB to investigate.
The CIB had previously investigated allegations of defrauding by leasing the land of the Children's Organization at a nominal price. In the land lease case, a fraud case was filed in court against 17 people, including the then Chairperson of Bal Mandir, Rita Singh. It is currently under trial in court that former officials, in collusion with Brihaspati Vidya Sadan and business houses, took financial benefits while leasing 28 ropanis 5 annas of land owned by the Children's Organization.
This specific news has been automatically translated by AI. As a result, there may be some inaccuracies or language errors.
