• Accused of taking bribe to let ‘gang-rapists’ off the hook

Kathmandu, January 30

Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, has formed a four-member probe panel led by SP Ram Dutta Joshi to investigate the charge against an inspector of allowing the alleged gang-rapists in a January 25 case to walk free by accepting bribe.

The panel includes DSPs Bel Bahadur Pandey, Shekhar Khanal and Basanta Rajaure as members.

Inspector Laxman Singh Thakuri has been relieved of his duties at Metropolitan Police Circle, Durbar Marg, and sent to the Armed Police Battalion No 2 located on the premises of Nepal Police Headquarters, citing that he could destroy evidences and influence the investigation process if he is allowed to continue in his position, said SSP Purna Chandra Joshi, spokesperson for Metropolitan Police Office.

Meanwhile, police said they had arrested the suspects of alleged gang-rape, but informed that the victim was out of contact. The source said they were trying to find her. According to preliminary investigation, four youths, including the alleged boyfriend of the victim, had allegedly gang-raped her in a room of Durbar Marg-based Hotel Landmark in a drunken stupor on Thursday.

The next day, the victim filed a gang-rape case against the four but Inspector Thakuri, who was also the litigation officer for Durbar Marg police, forced the girl into reconciling with the rapists ‘by accepting bribe’ and allowed the perpetrators to walk free.

The victim was also promised a handsome amount of money for reconciliation.

“As rape is a heinous crime and this case does not attract any reconciliation between the victims and perpetrators under the existing laws, Inspector Thakuri seems to have prepared a document to make the incident look like a beating case for a forced reconciliation,” a police source said.

It is learnt that the inspector had not even reported the case to the higher-up units of MPC, Durbar Marg, keeping his seniors, including its in-charge Deputy Superintendent of Police Tilak Bharati, in the dark.

SSP Joshi said not only Inspector Thakur but also any police official indicted by the investigation panel would be liable to legal and departmental action.