The police have initiated the investigation over the suspicious death of Rabi Thapa, the personal secretary to Madhu Kumar Shrestha, the Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation in Bagmati Province. Thapa committed suicide by consuming pesticide tablets on Monday afternoon at a friend’s residence in Kalanki, Kathmandu, the police said.

Thapa, a resident of Dhunibesi Municipality-9 in Dhading district, was reportedly distressed following the release of an audio recording implicating him in a cooperative-related scandal. The controversy revolves around the Sumero Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited, which the ministry declared as “troubled” on January 12.

The leaked audio allegedly captured a conversation between Thapa, Nepali Congress leader Raju Bartaula, and former cooperative secretary Binod Acharya. In the recording, Thapa and Bartaula reportedly discussed removing the cooperative’s files from the ministry’s system in exchange for money. After the audio surfaced online, Minister Shrestha directed the police to arrest Bartaula on Monday morning.

According to Superintendent of Police Apilraj Bohara, Thapa ingested the pesticide around 2 pm when he was alone in the room. His brother found him unconscious and rushed him to Sahid Memorial Hospital in Kalanki, where he was pronounced dead at 6:38 pm. A one-page suicide note was recovered from his room.

In the letter, Thapa expressed distress over being implicated in the financial scandal, stating that his reputation had been tarnished. Minister Shrestha revealed that Thapa had taken leave to visit Dhading for his daughter's birthday and denied any direct involvement in the scandal. "I was in Hetauda that day. When the audio was published, I instructed the police to take action against Raju Bartaula. It appears that fear led him to take his own life," Shrestha said.

The suicide note reportedly included an apology to Minister Shrestha, with Thapa writing, “Sorry, Dai (Brother).” Shrestha claimed Thapa felt wrongfully accused despite his innocence.

The controversy surrounding Sumero Savings and Credit Cooperative is ongoing. The cooperative has filed a petition with the Supreme Court against the ministry’s decision, and the court has scheduled a hearing involving both parties.

Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding Thapa’s death and the cooperative scandal.