Despite seemingly strong reservations of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha, a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday transferred five assistant inspector generals (AIGs) of Nepal Police including the one who was leading the investigation on the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.

Nepal Police headquarters also sent another proposal to the home ministry on the transfer of six senior superintendents of police (SSPs) who were also leading probes into several scams including the fake refugee case.

As per the Cabinet decision, AIG Shyam Gyawali, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office who was at the head of the investigation on the refugee scam, has been transferred to the operations department of the Nepal Police headquarters.

Some leaders including those from the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, and former home secretary and some middlemen are in police custody and investigation into them continues.

DPM Shrestha was under pressure from Nepali Congress leaders including party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Arzu Rana to remove Gyawali from the post, said a close aide to Shrestha. Shrestha went to meet both Deuba and his wife, on three occasions, to stop the transfer but failed.

Although the Cabinet made the decision on Tuesday, due to a strong objection from DPM Shrestha, it was only authenticated by the chief secretary on Friday.

The transfer was made in four months, which is arbitrary, a home ministry official said. “It seems some leaders wanted to transfer Gyawali in particular but in order to fend off criticism, four AIGs were transferred.”

Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kathayat said that as the transfer of AIGs is decided by the Cabinet, the police cannot comment on it.

The home ministry transfers the deputy inspector generals and senior superintendents of Nepal Police, said Kathayat. “The inspector general holds the power to transfer only up to the superintendent of Nepal Police.”

The decision of AIG transfer came out only on Friday after the chief secretary authenticated it, a home ministry official said. Usually, the Cabinet takes the decision to transfer senior police officials like AIGs on the recommendation of the home minister. “But in this case, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal himself presented the proposal and passed it despite DPM Shrestha’s strong objections,” the official said.

It seems the prime minister was under immense pressure from Deuba and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Purna Bahadur Khadka to transfer some top cops leading investigations into the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, another minister said. The prime minister too was reluctant to transfer the AIGs and a proposal to that effect had been pending for 15 days.

DPM Shrestha had come under pressure from some ruling party leaders including former prime minister Deuba to replace Gyawali with Deepak Thapa, another AIG. Thapa of the administration department will replace Gyawali at the Valley Police Office.

AIG Tek Prasad Rai of the National Police Training Institute has been transferred to the Human Resource Department while the department’s AIG Sandeep Bhandari will take over Rai’s position.

AIG Meera Chaudhary has been transferred to the administrative department from the operations department. However, the Central Investigation Bureau chief AIG Kiran Bajracharya, the Provincial Coordinating Directorate’s AIG Sudeep Giri, and AIG Tek Bahadur Tamang of the Crime Investigation Department will continue in their current positions.

The transfer could also have been the result of some differences between Nepal Police IG Basanta Kunwar and AIG Gyawali on the investigation of the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, said the home ministry official.

There is a separate proposal by the Nepal Police headquarters to transfer another six senior superintendents looking into the refugee scam.

SSP Dan Bahadur Karki, head of the Kathmandu Valley Police Range, could be transferred to the police headquarters and SSP Bhupendra Khatri is poised to replace him. SSP Manoj KC, who heads the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Department, has been proposed for the IGP secretariat, according to home ministry sources.

Both Karki and KC initiated investigation into the fake refugee scam. SSP Somendra Singh Rathour is proposed to replace Karki. Similarly, SSP Dinesh Acharya of the Central Bureau of Investigation could be deputed to Lalitpur district, with SSP Siddhi Bikram Shah replacing him.

“Such investigations into corruption cases are carried out by a team of police officers, not a single one,” former Nepal Police DIG Hemanta Malla said. “Nonetheless, if the leader is transferred, the entire investigation will be jeopardised.”

Nepali Congress leaders were unhappy with the investigation into the refugee scam. Congress President Deuba had also wanted to transfer AIG Gyawali mainly after the police arrested former home minister Balkrishna Khand, one of Deuba’s trusted lieutenants, in connection with the refugee scam. Some other senior politicians, officials and middlemen have also been sent into judicial custody in the same case.

Gyawali, along with SSP duo Karki and KC, had carried forward the fake refugee investigation. The second phase of investigation is ongoing after more complaints were filed in connection with the crime.

Top politicians from various parties are unhappy over renewed investigation into the Lalita Niwas land grab, in which top leaders including former prime ministers and ministers allegedly transferred public land to be owned by individuals.

Some senior politicians including former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the CPN (Maoist Centre) have been accused of involvement in the recent case of gold smuggling.

Malla said that such arbitrary transfers are highly problematic. “The civil service is defunct. And if the police organisation is discredited too, people will have no trust in public institutions,” said Malla.