Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 8:

Police arrested a Lama from a Swoyambhu gumba yesterday. Lopsan Lama, 22, had been cheating people in Swoyambhu area for quite some time. Lama, who hails from Tibet, stays at Phingeli Gumba in Swoyambhu.

Lama’s modus operandi was to go to jewellery shops, select valuable pieces and then he used to pretend of not having enough money. Then the shop employees used to follow him to the gumba for the remaining sum. “While the employees waited for him outside the gumba, Lama used to disappear,” said Inspector Pratap Gurung.

Rs 90,000 and silver ornaments were seized from him, police said. Lama is learnt to have sold jewellery in Swoyambbu, Bouddha and Thamel, police said.

In a separate case, crime investigation branch of the valley police arrested five persons on charge of cheating people while exchanging foreign currency. SP Madhab Joshi at the Valley Crime Investigation Branch said that they were arrested on the tip-off two arrested persons had given.

Dil Bahadur Pariyar of Balaju, Dipendra Dahal of Dhading, Indra Bahadur BK of Makawanpur, Madan Magar of Sindhuli and Sagar Lama of Makawanpur have been arrested.

They cheated Krishna Prasad Awasthi of Dhumbarai, Shankar Shrestha of Chabahil and Prakash Shrestha of Bouddha. Awasthi was cheated of Rs 250,000 whereas Shankar was cheated of Rs 75,000 and Prakash of Rs 120,000.

Meanwhile, two unidentified persons cheated Sandhya Maya Tamang of Rs 600, gold jewellery worth Rs 7,500 and 32 tolas of silver bangles at Tinkune.