Devkumar Nepali, mayor of Baglung's Dhorpatan municipality, who is absconding after embezzling 1.5 billion from cooperative savers, has been arrested from Delhi, India. The head office of Image Cooperative in Baglung was arrested by Indian police on Friday in coordination with Interpol.

The mayor is a suspended member of Nepali UML Gandaki State Committee. 

The president of Image Cooperative was out of contact with his Nepali wife Chela since May 2080 after posting the notice that the business was closed due to lack of liquidity in the office. Based on the complaints of 1,543 savers regarding embezzlement of savings, a case was filed in the district court on 25 June 2080 against 13 people including Nepali and his wife Chela after the first phase of investigation. In the indictment, it is mentioned that they defrauded the cooperative of 1 billion 376 million 98 thousand 668 rupees.

At the request of Nepal Police, Interpol issued a 'Red Notice' against Nepali and his wife Chela on 10th January 2080. Exactly 8 months later, the Nepalese were caught. Acting Inspector General of Nepal Police, Tek Prasad Rai, said that preparations are being made to bring the Nepalese to Nepal through the diplomatic process. "In order to bring the Nepali to the country, the Police Headquarters has already taken the necessary process forward through the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he said.

After the savers filed a complaint against the management and employees, the police started an investigation by collecting documents from the Gandaki government and Dhorpatan municipality. After Mayor Nepali absconded, Dor Bahadur Pariyar took over the role of acting chairman of the cooperative. During the investigation, the police arrested 6 people including Acting President Pariyar. 

A case was filed in court with 13 people, including those arrested and absconding, as defendants, which is pending. According to the order given by the court on July 5, 2080, 5 people including Acting President Pariyar are in jail pending trial and one person is out on bail. While on the run, Mayor Nepali requested the government to sell his house and settle the debt by saying that he has 18 houses and 44 plots of land in his name through social media Facebook and a statement.

In the morning of May 7, 2080, the business closure notice was suddenly posted at the office of Image Cooperative in Baglung Municipality-2, Hallanchowk, and the issue of money fraud in collusion between the directors and employees of the cooperative came to the fore. According to the decision of the Board of Directors meeting on April 6, due to lack of liquidity, the business of the cooperative was closed for some time. The notice was signed by Pariyar as acting chairman instead of chairman Nepali. Since then, the president was out of touch with his Nepali wife and daughter. In the municipality, a letter was found by Nepali giving Deputy Mayor Dhan Bahadur Kayat the responsibility of caretaker.

After the escape of Nepali, the Image Cooperative Victim Struggle Committee was formed under the coordination of Dil Bahadur Karki, who is also the chairman of UML's Kathekhola Rural Municipality. In the preliminary investigation of Cooperative Registrar Office Pokhara, it has been found that Image Cooperative embezzled 1.54 billion rupees from Baglung headquarters as well as Galkot, Burtiwang and Pokhara branches. 

In the charge sheet submitted to the court, it is mentioned that 1 billion 30 million was defrauded. It has been found that Nepalis have taken a loan of Rs 35 crore from branches of National Cooperative Bank, Garima Bikas Bank and Global IME Bank located in Baglung. There is also an accusation of embezzling savings by setting up artificial debtors against Nepali.  It is also mentioned in the indictment that the money was embezzled by entering artificial land in the name of

organization. He is also accused of misusing the funds of the cooperative and purchasing real estate and expensive vehicles in Baglung and other places. 

Nepali was the president of Image Cooperative, which was registered in July 2068, since its inception. "I am not aware of anyone other than Dev Kumar Nepali being the president of Image Cooperative," said Ram Bahadur GC, owner of Rashtriya Sahakari Bank. Even when he was elected mayor from Dhorpatan municipality in both the elections of 074 and 079, Nepali did not leave the leadership of the cooperative. After the Maoists did not give tickets in the 2074 election, Nepali UML entered and became the mayor. Before joining Maoist, he was affiliated with CPN Masal. Even while he was in Masal, he was involved in financial irregularities.

According to Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Thapalia, the law does not prevent the chairman of the cooperative from standing in the local elections, but after becoming a candidate, savers are prevented from voting wisely. The president of the cooperative pressures the savers to vote in his favor.

'Many people have won the election by taking advantage of the weaknesses in the election law, one of them is Nepali,' Thapalia said, 'The law should be amended to remove the previous weaknesses and loopholes.' He also informed that they have proposed to amend the law so that blacklisted persons cannot participate in the elections.

Nepali also embezzled 35 crore rupees by taking loans from National Cooperative Bank, Garima Bikas Bank and Global IME Bank. It has been found that he has acquired houses in Baglung, Kaski and Kathmandu with the money taken from cooperatives and banks. The Nepalese had passed the 5 pieces of land bought in Bhaktapur with the money obtained by cheating the cooperative in the name of his wife Chela's sister-in-law Kamala Giri on 2080 Baisakh 27. It was found that 5 pieces of land were passed to Batiji Devi Nepali on the same Baisakh 25.

Another niece, Maya Nepali, had passed 3 pieces of land in her name to her daughter on Baisakh 28. It has been found that Mayor Nepali passed the land in the name of acting chairman of the cooperative on 4th June 2079. It has also been found that Om Prasad tailor of the cooperative had transferred three parcels of land in the name of his daughter Sanju Nepali and one parcel in the name of Maya Nepali on June 4, 2080. From the investigation, it has been revealed that other directors and employees have also rightfully contributed from the amount that the co-operative cheated.

In order to embezzle the funds of the cooperative, it was found during the investigation that he had opened a fake account in the name of a non-depositor. After Nepali escaped after being cheated by Sahakari, in October and November last year, Sahakari Bank issued a notice to auction the house where Image office is located. After learning that the house was going to be sold after completing the process, the Sangharsh Samiti protested and surrounded the property itself. After that, the auction process has been postponed.