KATHMANDU, Feb 2: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has arrested three government employees including a customs officer at Tribhuvan International Airport on charges of accepting bribes.
The anti-graft watchdog on Monday detained customs officer Indra Neupane of the Foreign Mail Customs Section, Chhabi Prasad Rijal, a non-gazetted officer at the Postal Service Department’s dispatch unit and office assistant Ganesh Prasad Pudasaini.
According to the CIAA, the trio were apprehended with Rs 268,288 in cash, allegedly collected as bribes. The CIAA also confiscated 23 mobile phones believed to have been used in the bribery scheme.
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CIAA Spokesperson Suresh Neupane said the seized cash included both bribe money and funds of unexplained origin recovered from the suspects.
The arrests followed complaints that service seekers were being charged illegal payments for sending goods abroad through courier services. Acting on the tip-off, a CIAA team was deployed from its central office in Tangal.
The CIAA said it uncovered the scam through a sting operation following a tip off.
Of the total amount, Rs 146,420 was recovered from office assistant Pudasaini, including Rs 10,000 found in his office, Rs 40,350 of unexplained cash recovered from his residence and Rs 96,070 found on his person. From Rijal, the CIAA recovered Rs 38,848, including Rs 20,000 allegedly taken from a service seeker and Rs 18,848 of unexplained cash.
The CIAA stated that the bribe money had been collected in collusion among the three officials and was seized before it could be shared. In addition, mobile phones confiscated from other suspected individuals—bringing the total to 23 devices—are being prepared for forensic examination.
