Kathmandu, July 2

Police have stepped up combing operations against gangsters, both old and emerging ones, to maintain law and order in the Kathmandu Valley.

The law enforcement agency on Thursday raided a hotel in Thamel and nabbed Rajiv Gurung alias Deepak Manange and his accomplice Rajiv Kumar Singh with Rs 50,000 they extorted from a businessman. A money laundering charge against him is also sub-judice. He has been accused of amassing property worth around Rs 140.7 million illegally and through criminal activities.

On June 23, police opened fire at Jasman Rai, a notorious gangster and took him under control, from Bijulibazaar to initiate legal action against him for allegedly unleashing terror among businesspersons through extortion, and kidnapping and death threats.

Metropolitan Police Office said as many as 20 gangsters have been brought to book over a period of one year. Two notorious gangsters — Dinesh Adhikari alias Chari and Kumar Ghainte — were killed in encounter with police.

“Despite the death of two dreaded gangsters, we have come to the conclusion that many others are emerging to take their place and expand their stronghold in Kathmandu. Bearing in mind the potential threats to security, we have intensified combing operations to sweep the remnants and prevent them from being organised,” said a police official.

On April 6, police apprehended Bishwa Kranti Singh with a shotgun, a 375-bore rifle, 158 bullets, brown sugar and loan deeds from Sanepa, Lalitpur. Consequently, Lalitpur District Court sent him to jail yesterday. The official said on-duty cops had to open fire in at least half a dozen incidents in the course of taking the gangsters under control in the past one year. Of them, two were succumbed to bullet injuries.

“The gangsters, who have walked free after serving time, are also under constant surveillance. Manange was one among them and got arrested in the act of extorting a businessperson,” he warned, adding they were closely watching Chakre Milan, Ganesh Lama and Parsuram Basnet among others.

Other notorious gangsters like Ramesh Bahun and Abhishek Giri have been cooling their heels in jail after being convicted of drug smuggling, extortion and kidnapping charges.