Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police has arrested five individuals for an investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab scam.
On Tuesday, the CIB arrested Min Bahadur Gurung, the chairman of Bhat-Bhateni Department Stores, which operates a chain of superstores across the country. Bhat-Bhateni has constructed a warehouse on the Lalita Niwas land.
Similarly, the CIB has also arrested four former staffers of the Land Revenue Office in Dillibazaar. The arrested individuals include the then chief, Kaladhar Deuja, as well as Dharma Prasad Gautam, Surendra Man Kapali, and Bhupendra Mani KC. Their role in the registration of government land in the name of private individuals is being investigated.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed charges against 175 individuals allegedly involved in the land grab. It is seeking to recover a total of Rs 20 billion from them, including Rs 392.7 million from Gurung alone.
According to the CIAA, 136 government land plots have been transferred to different individuals through the forgery of government documents.
