Inam Sapkota Arrested in Connection with Former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana

Kathmandu. Inam Sapkota, who was arrested after his connection with former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana was revealed, is currently in the custody of the District Police Complex Kathmandu. The special bureau of the police arrested him from Tribhuvan International Airport on October 14, as he was about to leave for New Delhi. The police are investigating Inam in two cases: offenses under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act, 2058, and offenses under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2064, according to SSP Dilip Ghimire of Kathmandu. An investigation into money laundering is conducted against accused who conceal the source of black money earned from illegal or criminal activities and make it appear legitimate. To investigate the offense of money laundering, the accused must have acquired property through crime. There is a legal provision to investigate property only if there is a predicate offense. The police have initiated an investigation by registering a predicate offense related to the foreign currency transaction recovered from Inam. Foreign currency was found with Inam when he was arrested. Fourteen hundred US dollars and some currency from other countries were found with him, a police officer involved in the investigation told Ratopati. The Nepal Rastra Bank does not permit foreign currency transactions exceeding the limit set by it. According to the regulations and circulars of the Nepal Rastra Bank, the details of foreign currency exchanged from a bank must be mentioned in the passport when Nepali citizens travel abroad. Since an amount exceeding the limit was recovered, the police have investigated him for offenses related to the Nepal Rastra Bank. Inam, 31, is a local of Jhapa. His family lives in Budhanilkantha. Inam was living in the 'Panipokhari Height' apartment located at Panipokhari, Kathmandu. The police raided his apartment and seized documents and digital materials found there. It is suspected that former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana manipulated the cases of businessmen Deepak Bhatta and Sulabh Agarwal by mobilizing Inam. Cholendra was arrested and released by the Metropolitan Crime Investigation Division on the afternoon of October 11. Businessmen Bhatta and Agarwal are currently in jail for money laundering cases. SSP Ghimire of Kathmandu stated that Inam's mobile phone has been sent to the Digital Forensic Lab of the Police Headquarters for forensic examination. He said, 'We have sent the mobile for testing, the report has not come yet.' Inam's connection has also been revealed with Bashiraj Dahal, an AIG of the Armed Police Force who was dismissed after meeting former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana at the police office. According to the investigation report conducted by another AIG of the Armed Police, Anjanikumar Pokharel, contact was found between Dahal and Sapkota. In his statement, Dahal admitted to communicating with Sapkota. In his statement, Dahal admitted that they used to communicate on WhatsApp and mobile numbers due to acquaintance and being from the same district. A high-ranking official from the Home Ministry informed Ratopati that it has been confirmed that AIG Dahal provided Inam with information about the 'location' of Prime Minister Balendra Shah on WhatsApp. Meanwhile, the Department of Money Laundering Investigation raided the houses of Cholendra's brother Prabhu Shumsher Jabara, Navraj Thapaliya, Deepak Timalsina, Narayan Dahal, and Navin Basnet on Wednesday. They are close associates of Cholendra.