Dipesh Pun, son of Nepal’s former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, has been ordered by the Rupandehi District Court to be held in custody for 8 days as authorities investigate allegations of financial fraud against him.
According to Ranjitsingh Rathore, chief of Rupandehi police, Pun was transferred to Rupandehi after being arrested last Friday in Kathmandu. A complaint had been filed accusing Pun and others of embezzling over 780 million rupees from depositors of the Supreme Cooperative in Butwal, where Pun served as vice president.
The student leader, who is the general secretary of the Maoist Center’s youth wing Akhil Krantikari, has also been linked to a high-profile gold smuggling case. A government commission report on the seizure of 60kg of smuggled gold in Shrawan allegedly involves Pun’s associate Dawa Chiring as a prime suspect.
As the investigations into the cooperative fraud and gold smuggling allegations progress, the court has permitted an 8-day remand to allow police to question the former VP’s son thoroughly. The cases have generated considerable public interest given the prominent political connections involved.
