Siraha, February 1
An audio recording involving the former chief district officer of Siraha negotiating a huge amount to settle a case of disputed land has been leaked.
The audio file from an earlier time has then chief district officer Lalbabu Kawadi seeking millions of rupees from a person of Mirchaiya. Though Kawadi was transferred to Gorkha, his transfer was later stayed over the same issue.
According to sources, the bargaining had started from 10 million rupees. After the deal didn't proceed as expected, Kawadi is said to have created a fake officer affiliated to Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to push ahead with the deal talks. The person in the audio recording, who goes by the name of Puspendra, identifies himself as a CIAA secretary.
Following frequent negotiations, a deal was reached for seven million rupees. As the service seeker expressed his inability to pay the amount at one go, there was agreement to pay the amount in five instalments in the course of one month. The deal is said to have stalled later, however, after the CDO grew suspicious and smelled something against him.
As learnt, the deal was continued for months, and the CIAA and Central Bureau of Investigation were helping the service seeker to expose the fraud in a covert operation.
A version of this article appears in the print on February 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
