Chitwan police have concluded their investigation into the alleged embezzlement of depositors’ savings at Sahara Chitwan Multipurpose Cooperative and submitted a report to the District Attorney’s Office on Friday.

The police have recommended naming 14 additional individuals, including Rastriya Swatantra Party chairman Rabi Lamichhane and former Deputy Inspector General Chhabilal Joshi, as defendants in the case. The police earlier chargesheeted against 17 individuals alleging them of embezzling deposits of the same cooperative.

Lamichhane and Joshi were partners in Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd, in which funds were channelled from multiple cooperatives, including Sahara Chitwan. Lamichhane left the company in 2022 to join politics.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Kumar Mahato, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Chitwan, said the supplementary report suggests charging Lamichhane, Joshi, and Ram Bahadur Khanal, among others.

“It appears legal action should be taken against the seven companies involved in these transactions. The attorney’s office will review the report and take the case to the court with appropriate claims,” said DSP Mahato.

A complaint was filed on 26 September 2023, alleging the embezzlement of cooperative savings. Following nearly a year of investigation, 17 individuals were charged and the case was filed in the Chitwan District Court on September 24 last year.

The District Attorney’s office had instructed the police to investigate the funds transferred to Gorkha Media Network that operated now-defunct Galaxy 4K Television, where Lamichhane was managing director before joining the politics in June 2022.

A total of 24 depositors filed a supplementary complaint, accusing Lamichhane and 10 others of fraud and organised crime. The complaint cited the transfer of Rs108 million from the cooperative to the media company.

Lamichhane, who served as Gorkha Media's shareholder and managing director, faces similar charges in other districts, including Rupandehi and Parsa. He was released on bail by courts in Pokhara and Kathmandu in connection with similar cases.