Lokjung Shahi, a forest officer on behalf of Division Forest Office Humla, has gone on the run after the Revenue Investigation Department launched an investigation into the allegations of electronic cigarette (vape) smuggling.

After 39 thousand 900 vape were found in a container which was checked for Nepalgunj from Division Forest Office Humla, Division Forest Officer of Humla was drawn under royal suspicion. After that, with the department starting the investigation, Shahi has been out of touch . The smuggled vape entered Nepal-China border area through the border of Namkha Rural Municipality of Humla and the same vape along with the owner of Setak Sugar, Kunsang Dorjee Lama, also absconded. An officer of the Revenue Investigation Department informed that a letter has been sent to the Nepal Police to arrest the two fugitives. After the department's letter, a police officer informed that the search for both absconding persons is underway.  "The department had sent a letter to both of them, now the search for the person involved is going on," said the police officer. Shahi, who is absconding, is the brother of Congress leader and former minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi. It is also revealed that Lokjung has been working in the Humla Forest Office for the past 16 years.

Lama, the owner of Kailash-Ishwar herb buying and selling center, applied for a permit to take 5,000 kg of herbs to Nepalgunj called setak sugar collected from Sarmthan National Ban in Humla and made into Ghatgaddi in Namkha Rural Municipality-1 on August 3.

After that, on 5th of August, Forest Officer Shahi gave permission to carry Setak sugar through the districts and areas on the route from Humla to Nepalgunj. After that, two forest employees, Santosh Khatri and Krishna Bahadur Hamal, issued a check pass letter mentioning the route to reach Nepalgunj. In the meantime, the revenue team had already received information about the introduction of smuggled vape, and surveillance had already started on it. On the basis of that, on the one hand, the department mobilized suraki to increase surveillance on it and on the other hand, the inspected container was sent to Nepalgunj along with 27-year-old Chhiring Lama from Simkot in Humla and 32-year-old Janak Rokaye and 27-year-old Bhumi Rokaye from Mugu.

Bhumi is the driver of the container . Janak and Tshiring are allies of the herbalist Lama. As the three of them left for Banke with the container that had passed the inspection, the revenue was chased by the Armed Police Force (APF) plainclothes team. At the same time, the armed police team deployed for the security of Upper Karnali hydropower project in Dailekh took control of the container and the three people in it from Khidki Jiula. After that, while the arrested person and the container were being taken to Nepalganj, an armed team of Bange Seemal, which is located in the highway area under Birendranagar municipality of Surkhet, entrusted the container to the revenue . After receiving information that the armed forces had taken control of the container, the revenue's Kohlapur office staff left for Surkhet and took over the container after reaching Bangesimal.

After that, when the container was taken to the Kohlpur office under the protection of the Revenue and opened, 39 thousand 900 pieces of smuggled vape and 2 thousand 460 kg of setak sugar of 'ELFBAR' brand were found. The market value of the vape found in the container is said to be around 10 million rupees. After mentioning 5,000 kg of herbs in the container during the forest inspection, it was found that less than half of the amount of setak sugar was smuggled in the upper part and below that, and sent by smuggling. And during the progress of the investigation, the revenue has sent a letter to the police to present both of them for investigation after finding grounds to reveal the involvement of the forest official Shahi and the herbalist Lama in the vape smuggling .

"In the initial investigation, it seems that the smuggled vape entered through the border of Namkha Rural Municipality of Humla, Nepal-China border area. The vape were kept hidden in a secret place for some time and when the arrangements were made with the forest staff, then they showed a container of setak sugar and were ready to take it to Nepalgunj and then send it to India," said a revenue source involved in the investigation.

According to research sources, an 'unusual relationship' has been seen between Lama and Forest Officer Shahi, who are currently out of contact, and based on that relationship, they may have planned to pass the smuggled vape on the occasion of becoming Forest Officer on behalf of Shahi . Chandraveer Gurung, Divisional Forest Officer of Humla, was transferred to Karnali Pradesh Forest Ministry in Surkhet from 6th July 2082. After the fall of Gurung Surkhet, Shahi took charge as acting chief. After that, it has been revealed that Lama has increased his activities to take the smuggled goods to India through Banke under the cover of Setak Nichi.