Stolen relief materials seized, eight arrested

KAVRE: Police have seized relief materials hidden in individuals’ houses in different VDCs of Kavre and arrested eight locals for investigation.

Relief items like rice, beaten rice and salt, among others, which were allocated for quake victims of the district, were seized.

Ashok Lama, a local of Chaubasa VDC had taken 200 sacks of rice, 100 sacks of beaten rice and five sacks of salt to Gothapani VDC after informing the district disaster rescue committee, in a truck on May 6.

But, Lama had kept 47 sacks of rice and 20 sacks of beaten rice in grocery shops run by Krishna Prasad Chaulagain and Guna Prasad Chaulagain at Gothapani VDC.

Meanwhile, police carried out investigation after being informed that relief items had been sold rather than distributed to quake victims of different VDCs.

Information Officer DSP Raj Kumar KC of District Police Office, Kavre said that Krishna Prasad and Guna Prasad had sold two sacks of rice that Ashok had given them to locals at Rs 1,200 each.

The police team has seized 30 sacks of rice and five sacks beaten rice from Thuli Lama’s house at Sanubangthali VDC after the items were taken by Thuli in a truck through Ashok’s father last Saturday.

Police have also seized 10 sacks rice from Kanchhi Lama’s house at Dhuseni Sibalaya VDC.

DPO said police also seized five sacks of rice and 15 sacks of beaten rice from Chaulagain Grocery shop last Saturday. The seized relief items were taken to the DPO on Sunday, said police.

Police arrested seven people for selling relief materials. They are: Guna Prasad Chaulagain, 56, Krishna Prasad Chaulagain, 51, Indra Lama, 30, Kanchhi Lama, Punju Sherpa, 19, truck driver Prakash Tamang, 26, Surya Bahadur Lama, 55, and his son Ashok Lama, 33, of Dhuseni Sibalaya VDC.