Kathmandu, December 12

The Kathmandu District Court allowed the Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu, on Friday, to detain the two employees of KL Dugar group in custody for five more days starting from Saturday — that is, until Wednesday.

The two had been arrested, on charge of black-marketing, from the warehouse of Swastik Oil Industries located at Jadibuti on December 3 and had been immediately remanded for three days.

Police have already detained them for eight days — through two remand periods — by Friday for interrogation. However, the interrogation started only from Thursday and the court extended the remand period for another five days on Friday.

The police had arrested Aman Jauthan, manager, and Liaison Officer Pramod Raj Adhikari, from the warehouse of Swastik Oil Industries.

Swastik Oil is one of the flagship businesses of KL Dugar Group. The Group produces soybean, hydrogenated

vegetable, sunflower and palmolein oil under the brand names of Swastik, Dhara and Bigul.

“Following the expiry of the previous remand period, the Kathmandu District Court yesterday allowed us to detain the duo for five more days for interrogation,” said Bikram Singh Thapa, senior superintendent of police at Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu.

The police are preparing to present the accused before court by Wednesday, when the third remand period will expire, for prosecution.

Meanwhile, the police will continue to gather ‘indisputable evidences’ based on the interrogations of the duo and the documents seized from the company.

SSP Thapa also informed that they are on the lookout for Kishan Lal Dugar, chairman of KL Dugar Group, and his son Naresh Dugar, vice chairman of the Group, who are at large. Police have already issued an arrest warrant for Kishan Lal Dugar and Naresh Dugar.

Police had impounded five trucks laden with edible oil that the firm was planning to sell at Rs 320 per litre — double the price during normal times — from the warehouse of the industry during the raid.

Swastik Oil Industries had started raising price of edible oil all of a sudden since the last one-and-a-half months, when the market began witnessing shortage of edible oil due to disruptions in supply of daily essentials from India.