Nepal Police has suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Kumod Dhungel, in charge of the Chandranigahapur Area Police Office, after he was found to have connection with Bikram Shrestha, a criminal arrested in a robbery case.

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division on April 19 arrested Bikram Shrestha, 36; Nabaraj Tamang, 38; and Shanta Bahadur Tamang, 28, who had robbed the house of 79-year old Lalendra Sherchan at Ranibari, Kathmandu, on April 10.

A group of six men had broken into the house, tied the hands and legs of Sherchan, his wife Bhanu Devi and their helper Mithu Thakali, and taken away jewellery and cash worth Rs560,000.

Once Sherchan filed the complaint at the division, a search operation was launched to arrest the robbers.

When the police division started the investigation after three of the six robbers had been arrested, Shrestha’s connection with Dhungel was revealed.

Call details showed that Dhungel and Shrestha were in regular contact, a senior official at the division said on condition of anonymity.

According to the Nepal Police, Dhungel was suspended after his connection with Shrestha was established.

“The relation between Dhungel and Shrestha, along with his involvement in the robbery, is still not clear. But since the call details showed that they were in contact, Dhungel has been suspended for now,” Senior Superintendent of Police Uttam Raj Subedi, spokesperson for Nepal Police, told the Post.

“The Nepal Police Inspectorate will be investigating the matter,” said Subedi.

According to some senior police officers whom the Post spoke to, Dhungel had a good reputation since he was loyal to his duty.

Dhungel was also one of the officers behind the encounter of Manoj Pun and Som Bahadur Ale, the accused behind the murder of the Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal chairman Sharad Kumar Gauchan. Gauchan was shot dead in broad daylight on October 9, 2017.

Following a tip-off from the Central Investigation Bureau about the whereabouts of Pun, the Rupandehi police had tried to arrest the duo. When the pair reportedly tried to escape after firing at the police, it was shot on February 21, 2018.

The Central Investigation Bureau, which was looking into the Gauchan murder case, had tipped the Rupandehi district police about Pun’s whereabouts.

“Many officers have contact with some criminals, who are known as ‘sources’, for gathering information about some incidents or other criminals,” said a senior Nepal Police officer.

“However, the context behind the regular call exchange between Shrestha and Dhungel after the robbery will be clear once the headquarters completes the probe.”