AIG Shyam Lal Gyawali appointed as CIB chief; Dipesh Pun, son of former Vice President, arrested

Kathmandu / Mar 15: Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Shyam Lal Gyawali has been appointed as the head of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police.

Minister for Communication and Information Technology, Rekha Sharma, informed that the cabinet meeting held on Friday decided to appoint AIG Gyawali to the CIB. She stated that AIG Kiran Bajracharya, who previously headed the CIB, has been given the responsibility of the Operations Department at the Nepal Police Headquarters.

Minister Sharma mentioned that since the commission formed to probe gold smuggling has submitted its report, it is now easier for the new leadership to implement it immediately.

AIG Bajracharya was removed from the position after a high-level probe commission, tasked with investigating gold smuggling, pointed out serious flaws in the investigation.

The commission recommended action against CIB chief Bajracharya, SP Sanjay Singh Thapa, and DSPs Rugam Kunwar and Durga Dahal, citing serious flaws in their handling of the gold smuggling investigation.

Dipesh Pun, son of former Vice President, arrested

Police on Friday arrested Dipesh Pun, son of former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, in connection with cooperative fraud and gold smuggling.

According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane, Dipesh was detained from Dhapasi.

On September 5 last year, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) interrogated Dipesh for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of 60.716 kg gold which was seized immediately after it passed undetected from Tribhuvan International Airport customs office in Kathmandu in July of the same year.

After CIB officials recorded his statement, the junior Pun was freed on the condition that he be present as and when needed in the course of the investigation.

On February 5, depositors of the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives had submitted a complaint to the district police against three people, including Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Lamichhane, now home minister.

The cooperative victims had presented the details to the district police also against Dipesh, former chair of the cooperative Gyan Bahadur Bomjan and 15 different companies.