Dev Kumar Nepali, the Mayor of Dhorpatan Municipality, is yet to be arrested for allegedly embezzling around Rs 2.25 billion from depositors in the Image Savings and Credit Cooperative.
Despite an issued arrest warrant, Nepali remains elusive, prompting accusations of political and police protection.
Nepali, who is the founder chairman of the cooperative, is charged of embezzling Rs 1.6 billion from 1,500 individuals in Baglung and Rs 648.8 million from 524 people in Pokhara. The police, responding to complaints, have initiated a case against 11 individuals, including the accused mayor.
Dil Bahadur Karki, the coordinator of the Image Savings and Credit Cooperative Victims’ Struggle Committee, lamented, “Even after a live notification from Nepali through Facebook, the police did not act.”
Nepali previously promised to repay depositors by selling land in a Facebook Live session on November 21. The police, collaborating with the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police, have yet to make any arrests, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the investigation.