Kathmandu, January 11

Police have arrested three more suspects in connection with the murder of president of the Federation of Contractors’ Association of Nepal Sharad Kumar Gauchan.

Those nabbed by Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, from different places yesterday are Surya Baji, Raj Kumar Sah and Shyam Gupta who SP Ram Dutta Joshi said acted as ‘henchmen’ of the extortion and murder racket led by Samirman Singh Basnet.

With this, the number of suspects arrested by police for their direct or indirect involvement in the murder of Gauchan has reached 11, including prime accused Basnet and two shooters. According to MPR, the trio had provided SIM cards to the shooters to threaten Gauchan over phone for extortion.

Gauchan, 60, was gunned down by armed motorcyclists on Prayag Marg, Kathmandu, on October 9. Basnet, a Bafal-based gangster and a close aide to Kumar Shrestha, aka Ghainte, killed in police action in 2015, masterminded the murder after ‘the victim refused to pay extortion money’. He was also the prime suspect of the murder of CPN-UML-aligned Youth Federation Nepal’s Rupandehi president Durga Tiwari on December 19, 2016 in Khairahani of the district and the murder attempt on Dawa Lama on April 11 in Gaugharighat, Kathmandu.

Police said four others were still at large. Meanwhile, police are preparing to file a murder case against eight persons at Kathmandu District Court through Office of District Attorney seeking 30 years jail term for them. According to MPR, it sought 20 years of imprisonment under the murder case and 10 years more as per the Prevention of Organised Crime Act because more than two persons were involved in the crime.