Office building of Shiva Shikhar Cooperatives. (File Photo)
SURKHET: Depositors of Shiv Shikhar Cooperative Society have filed complaints against promoters and staffers of the cooperatives accusing them of running away with their deposits.
Scores of depositors have lodged a formal complaint at the District Police Office in Surkhet, alleging that they have fallen victim to the deceptive practices of the cooperative. A total of 178 individuals have formally registered their complaints, according to the police.
After conducting a detailed investigation into the complaints, the police are preparing to submit their investigation report to the District Government Attorney’s Office, Surkhet. Police have made 11 individuals defendants. concluding that they swindled Rs 110 million from unsuspecting depositors.
The police also summoned the cooperative’s directors—Gita Sharma (41), Pushka Malla, and Amish Rajbhandari—from Kathmandu to provide their statements.
The depositors have said in their complaints that they parked money into the cooperative after they were promised attractive interest rates.
Even as the investigation unfolds, fresh complaints against the cooperative continue to pour in. “Given the growing number of people coming to register their complaints, we anticipate the number of victims to rise further,” DSP Laxman Shahi, the spokesperson for the District Police Office, Surkhet, said.
Shiva Shikhar Cooperative, which has headquarters in Bhaktapur, has offices in Birendranagar and Mehalkuna. The cooperative has raised an estimated Rs 300 million as deposits and stock investments through its Surkhet offices.
The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police is pursuing an investigation against Kedar Nath Sharma—the central figure behind the cooperative. Seven individuals, including the promoters and staff members of the cooperative, remain at large.
According to police sources, Surkhet manager Chandan Thapa, accounts officer Chhabi Dangi, Deepak Bohora from Kailali, Lila Nath Gautam from Morang, Raju Sakhakarmi from Bhaktapur, Tej Bahadur Tamang from Sindhuli, and Sushil Baniya from Kathmandu are on the run.
