According to the Metropolitan Police Circle, New Baneshwor, the department forwarded two different bills of the pharmacy with intension that the police annul the case against the pharmacy’s owner Pitambar Pokharel who is a relative of former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Dinesh Chandra Pokharel.

The police have forwarded the case to the District Attorney General, Kathmandu, asking the latter to file a case at the District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu. The DAO is responsible for initiating action against anybody involved in black-marketing.

On May 18, the DoCSM, through the police circle, stepped up action against Pokharel on charge of overcharging customers. “But just two days after the first letter, the department forwarded another letter hinting the police should scrap the case that had already been forwarded to the District Attorney General’s Office,” said a senior police official.

Based on the DoCSM report, the police circle nabbed Pokharel on charge of taking 43 percent profit margin on surgical devices. As per the law, stores taking over 20 percent profit are charged with black-marketing.

According to the DoCSM, it forwarded the second letter to the police after the pharmacy produced the second bill, terming it authentic. “Pitambar Pokharel’s wife Sindhu Sharma had produced the second bill, saying the shop attendant provided wrong bill initially,” said a DoCSM source.

However, the second bill, which mentioned the selling price of Rs100 against the purchase price of Rs 88.50, was brought from Nepal Surgical House. The first bill was brought from Shuva Siddhi Surgical House.

The police source said the department’s act was suspicious and could affect the investigation. The department, however, said it forwarded the second bill as per the law.

DoCSM Deputy Director General Kamal Prasad Bhattarai said they forwarded the second bill to the police after Sharma’s request that a wrong invoice was given initially. “The move was just to help the innocent from not being penalised.”

DoCSM Director Hari Narayan Belbase, who led the monitoring and investigation against the pharmacy, said the department’s move was not for influencing the investigation. “We just sought to provide required evidences, but it is the investigating officer’s right how to interpret them.”