Police in Kailali have arrested four municipal police personnel of Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City for allegedly assaulting the chief of the Kailali Customs Office Ananta Prasad Timilsina.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Singh, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Kailali, those arrested include Municipal Police Inspector Laxman Singh Dhami, Head Constable Manidatta Bhatt, Constable Jitendra Singh Dhami, and driver Ratan Bahadur Malla. Customs chief Timilsina had filed a formal complaint against them.

The incident occurred within the customs office premises, where the municipal police team, led by Inspector Dhami, allegedly beat Timilsina. CCTV footage of the assault has since been made public.

The assault reportedly began late Saturday night when the municipal police were investigating a vehicle that had damaged fencing on the six-lane Dhangadhi-Attariya road. The team reached the customs office during the search, where a dispute broke out between Timilsina and the police personnel, which later escalated to physical assault.

The incident has drawn widespread criticism, prompting the Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan City to issue a 24-hour clarification notice to Police Inspector Dhami on Sunday.