Syangja, November 3
Police have arrested three government employees in Syangja on charges of forging and making unauthorised alterations to official records, nearly two months after the District Administration Office referred the case for investigation.
The arrested employees are former administrative officer Suryaprasad Sharma Paudel, accountant Ramesh BK and computer operator Bishnuprasad Chapagain. They were taken into custody on November 2.
According to DSP Ramesh Datt Awasthi, the three were arrested in connection with a forgery case filed by the government against Prayasi Gurung and others. The Syangja District Court has granted police a five-day remand for investigation.
The district administration had forwarded the case to police on September 11 with supporting evidence. However, police reportedly made little progress until a complaint was filed through the government’s Hello Sarkar platform on October 8 and the Ministry of Home Affairs sought action on October 14. The administration sent another letter to police on October 26.
The case surfaced after verification of documents submitted for issuing minor identity cards to Gurung’s two children revealed that she held two citizenship certificates.
An investigation by the district administration found alleged unauthorised alterations to official records to make it appear that her first citizenship certificate had been cancelled through an official decision, although no such decision had been made.
Despite the arrests, police have refused to disclose when the case was registered and arrest warrants were obtained, raising questions about transparency in the investigation.
