Kathmandu, May 23

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police is planning to establish its offices in all seven provinces to make criminal investigation faster and more effective.

CIB Director Pushkar Karki said the growing rate and fast expansion of cyber, financial and organised crimes had made it even more significant for the supreme investigating body to take timely action. “CIB alone cannot handle many criminal investigations simultaneously and hence it needs to open its provincial level offices,” he informed.

CIB was established in 2010 as the national agency to investigate complex criminal cases. CIB Regulation has provided legal space to it to investigate cases, detain suspects and initiate prosecution as per the laws. Jurisdiction of CIB encompasses the entire country. The cases which are deemed to be a national concern can be referred to CIB through Nepal Police Headquarters only. Tackling financial and cyber crimes, banking offences, frauds, human trafficking, organised crimes, smuggling of wildlife body parts, hundi business and implementation of court verdicts are major challenges before CIB, DIG Karki said.

“Keeping in mind the hectic work schedule, CIB is also preparing to request the government to provide overtime allowance or incentive package to its employees,” he said. DIG Karki warned that operation of bitcoin racket in the country was an emerging challenge to the financial sector. Recently, CIB had busted four bitcoin currency rackets.

According to CIB, bitcoin, also called digital currency, is the first decentralised peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. Though it is legal in some countries and over 1,100 cryptocurrencies are in practice, its trading is punishable under the Nepal Rastra Bank Act.