KAVRE, July 11

The local administration in Kavre on Saturday ordered police to arrest 50 persons who had received the earthquake relief amount by posing themselves as quake victims.

According to Kavre District Administration Office, it has already ordered subordinate agencies to arrest as many as 50 bogus quake victims, who had received the government relief amount. The move followed FIRs registered with DAO.

Administrative Officer Arjun Rishal said that 25 persons from Panchkhal Municipality’s ward no 16 and 17 and as many from Patlekhola and Mahadevsthan VDCs of the district were involved in securing earthquake relief amount by posing themselves as quake victims.

“Each of them had received Rs 15,000 which was distributed among the real victims for the construction of temporary shelters. They had produced fake earthquake victim identity cards to claim the relief,” he informed, adding that the persons in question have been asked to be present at police station for investigation.

DAO said that it has sent letters to local police posts through District Police Office to arrest bogus quake victims. Chief District Officer Sudarsan Prasad Dhakal said that action would be taken against such persons. “As per the FIR, the fake victims had received the cash relief, saying that they had lost everything in the disaster of the April 25,” he added.

Meanwhile, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist among other political parties have demanded that the administration confiscate the ID cards, which were distributed among 600 fake victims in ward no 16 and 17 of Panchkhal Municipality at the behest of Nepali Congress local leader Kiran Shrestha. The party leaders have also demanded action against Shrestha and ward secretary Indra Maya Kunwar among others.

It is said that Shrestha had ordered secretary Kunwar to distribute ID cards as Shrestha had put his signature on the cards. As many as 850 real quake victims were there in two different wards in the municipality.

CDO Dhakal said that his office had directed officer Dev Raj Chaulagain of the municipality to confiscate the ID cards.