Lalitpur, August 22 :

The District Administration Office, Lalitpur formed a five-member committee headed by the assistant Chief District Office Kabi Raj Khanal to investigate the looting and vandalising of private properties on Sunday in Lalitpur.

The other members of the committee are Suresh Pradhan, president of the Nepal Bhasa Mankaa Khala Yala, Chiri Babu Maharjan, president of the Jyapu Samaj, engineer Kamini Vaidya, Dambar Tamang, Inspector at Mangal Bazaar Police Office. The committee will begins its work from Thursday.

An eyewitness, Chiri Babu Maharjan, said: “A group of miscreants looted and vandalised private properties in the name of protesting the hike in the prices of petroleum products on Sunday in Gwarko, Ring Road.” He added the miscreants set on fire Namaste Petrol Pump, three motorbikes and three barrels of motor engine each containing 200 litres at Namaste Petrol Pump, gwarko and vandalised at least 24 restaurants and few private building in the locality. The locals and bystanders identified five looters from the photographs printed in the newspapers and handed them over to police yesterday morning, he said.

Delegation of locals went to the CDO yesterday questioning the security lapse in the locality.

The committee would investigate on the loss of property and a report would be prepared within seven days. The report would help in the compensation of the loss of private properties, said Maharjan.