East Nawalparasi District Court has remanded seven accused in embezzling funds of the Kawasoti-based Chhipchhipe Consumers Cooperative to judicial custody.

Superintendent of Police Narahari Regmi, chief of Nawalparasi District Police Office, said they were sent to Bharatpur jail on Monday following the order from a single bench of Judge Kul Prasad Pandey. They were also sent to the jail in the neighbouring Chitwan district, as the district doesn’t have a prison.

Yogendra Pandey, Nagendra Bahadur Rimal, Sanjeev Kumar Mahato, Krishna Prasad Gyawali, Dhundi Raj Gautam, Bikas Sapkota and Shiva Lal Lamichhane, who were arrested two months ago on charges of misappropriating cooperative fund, have been sent to jail.

Incumbent chair Gopi Krishna Sharma and Sunita Kumari Neupane were released on Rs250,000 bail each. The court also ordered the release of Tirtha Raj Kaini on Rs1 million bond.

On June 2, a case was registered in East Nawalparasi against 35 people, including federal lawmaker Gita Basnet of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, for embezzling funds from the cooperative. A total of 25 people including the lawmaker are on the run.

They have been accused of embezzling Rs165.8 million from the cooperative.