Bajura, March 17

Proprietors of Karnali Agriculture Development Nepal Private Limited have gone out of contact after collecting lakhs of rupees from local farmers in Bajura.

The company had formed a farmers’ group and collected Rs 8.5 lakh from 1,710 farmers of Bajura.

As many as 13 social workers were recruited by the company to collect money from farmers.

Puja Khati, who was appointed for collecting money, said she had not got salary for five months.

“We submitted the collected amount at the office and the office sent the amount to the Surkhet-based central office,” she added.

Local farmers filed a case against seven persons in Bajura District Police Office on January 24.

DPO said a fraud case was filed against Chairman of the company Lila Mani Devkota of Dailekh, Sandeep Shrestha, Ranbir BK, Rajendra Malla, Raj Kumar Bastola, Hem Bahadur Chand of Surkhet and Mani Chandra Pandey of Kalikot.

Police said the letter was sent to the District Police Offices of Dailekh, Surkhet and Kalikot after the case was filed.

Sita Magar, who was appointed as the Bajura office chief, said the money collected from the farmers was sent to the central office. She added that even she had not got her salary.

Karnali Agriculture Development Nepal Pvt Ltd was registered as per the company act with Surkhet as its address. The company had announced vacancy without the administration’s permission.

Meanwhile, Bajura Chief District Officer Chet Raj Baral said his office had not given permission to the company. “The company had taken permission from district coordination committee after the DAO did not give permission,” he said.