KATHMANDU: The Metropolitan Police Range, Lalitpur, on Tuesday arrested a Nepal Police official, identified as Inspector Anil Pandit, on charge of assisting former minister Shyam Sundar Gupta in his extortion bid.

Gupta was arrested from his residence in Talchhikhel of Lalitpur yesterday. The 70-year-old criminal leader had allegedly issued a threat of kidnapping her and her family members to Tara Regmi, who runs a manpower agency in Dhobighat,  if she did not pay him Rs 5 million.

Gupta has been remanded in custody for investigation yesterday itself.

Police had swung into action after the alleged victim lodged a complaint against Gupta.

Inspector Pandit, stationed at the Bungmati Bhainsepati-based Metropolitan Police Sector, was arrested after Regmi told investigators about his role in extortion.

Earlier, Gupta was jailed for three years for kidnapping of a businessman in 2011. He was released from the jail in July last year only.

The duo had intimidated and attempted to cough up money from her, according to Regmi, who was convicted as an accomplice in the January 2012 murder of the then Deputy Inspector General of Armed Police Force Ranjan Koirala's wife Gita. She, however, had been dodging the law enforcement agencies to avoid the jail term of one year.

Police arrested and sent Regmi to the Kathmandu District Court for the execution of its sentence against her in the January 2012 murder case. She was later sent to the Central Jail.

Police presented Inspector Pandit before the Lalitpur District Court and remanded him in custody.

Regmi, Koirala's paramour, was at large after the murder. Koirala had admitted to killing his wife at Regmi's interest.

In its verdict delivered in April 2014, the KDC slapped a life term of 20 years on Koirala for killing his estranged wife and one year sentence on Regmi for abetting the crime.

Regmi had claimed that she and Ranjan were married and had been living together for the last 10 years. Even though she had denied her role in assisting Ranjan in the murder, the KDC concluded that the circumstantial evidences justified her involvement in the offence.

Koirala had strangulated Gita to death at her residence in Pasikot, Bishnu Budhanilkantha, on January 11, 2012, and charred the body at Metrang near Palung in Makwanpur to destroy the evidence of crime.

He was held at Nagdhunga while he was returning to the Valley from Palung.

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• Ex-minister Shyam Sundar Gupta arrested for 'extortion bid'