The Department of Money Laundering Investigation raided the houses of Prabhu Shumsher Rana, brother of former chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana, and associates on Wednesday, widening a probe into alleged attempts to influence court cases and secure the release of controversial businessman Deepak Bhatta.

Officials said the department’s team also searched the homes of former High Court judges Nawaraj Thapaliya and Dipak Timilsina, as well as Nabin Raj Basnet. The team collected documents and checked electronic devices for investigation.

A senior department official said the investigation into Prabhu Rana and Basnet had begun a few months ago, while Thapaliya and Timilsina were brought under scrutiny more recently after investigators examined the activities of intermediary Inam Sapkota.

“Some are directly connected to this case, while others are linked to matters already under investigation,” an official told Kantipur. Sapkota’s questioning has helped investigators identify a wider network of contacts around Rana.

Sapkota, who holds a US green card, was arrested by the Special Bureau at Tribhuvan International Airport on September 30 as he was preparing to travel to New Delhi. He was later handed over to Kathmandu police and remanded for investigation into alleged indecent behaviour.

The money laundering investigation has now also expanded to Sapkota. His wife filed a habeas corpus petition at the Supreme Court after police detained him on the charge of indecent behaviour. Officials say discussions at the Home Ministry then led to a separate investigation by the money laundering department.

The wider case centres on Bhatta, who has been held in cases involving money laundering, corruption, and banking offences. Bhatta was under a detailed money laundering investigation and had been placed on an immigration watchlist amid allegations that he used political and bureaucratic connections to influence contracts, licences and regulatory decisions. In June, prosecutors filed multiple cases involving Bhatta and other business figures over alleged financial misconduct.

Investigators now say the latest judicial influence probe began with an alleged attempt to secure Bhatta’s release. He had been remanded in custody by the Special Court on June 17, and two days later by the Patan High Court. Government officials allege that efforts to influence the case intensified after Bhatta’s lawyers challenged his detention at the Supreme Court.

“Former chief justice Rana and Bhatta did not communicate directly, but Inam Sapkota appears to have acted as an intermediary between the two sides,” an investigating officer said. “A family member would call Sapkota, and he would report everything to the former chief justice.”

The officer claimed Timilsina and Thapaliya were also linked to the network, while Basnet was being investigated as a person allegedly involved in influencing court and other matters.

The investigation has also raised questions about senior security officials’ contacts with Sapkota. Armed Police Force Additional Inspector General Banshiraj Dahal has been suspended after allegedly visiting Rana at a police office without permission while the former chief justice was being held there on September 27.

The Home Ministry said Dahal was suspended for ‘leaking sensitive security-related information and acting in breach of conduct’. The ministry formed a committee led by AIG Anjani Kumar Pokharel to investigate him.

According to investigators, Sapkota’s mobile phone analysis revealed contacts with other senior police officials as well. “Some appear to have asked him to meet, while others were in regular contact,” said an officer. “Contact alone is not a major issue, but the key question is whether information obtained by senior officials was misused.”

It remains unclear whether Sapkota’s contacts with some Nepal Police officials went beyond professional acquaintance. Investigators are examining whether confidential information was leaked or whether the contacts were used to influence judicial proceedings.

The department’s raids are therefore part of a broader inquiry spanning money laundering, alleged judicial influence and possible misuse of access to senior state officials. Evidence from documents, electronic devices and Sapkota’s phone could determine how far the alleged network extends, the investigators say.