“We suspect that Rs 110 million worth of IC have been siphoned off to India by those firms by submitting fake customs declaration forms and demand drafts at Birjung-based branches of NIC Bank, Everest Bank and Laxmi Bank,” said Shanta Bahadur Shrestha, director general of DRI. [break]
With the new cases, suspected misappropriation of IC by those firms has touched Rs 770 million.
A joint investigation carried out by the DRI and Parsa District Police on Wednesday had found Maxwell Computer, Shyam Galla Bhandar, Jaya Mata Di International, Digital World and GS Traders of producing nine fake customs declaration forms to withdraw huge amount of IC from those banks.
Police have already sent five suspects -- Kul Bhusan Mishra, Suresh Mishra, Sandeep Sah, Arabinda Kumar Sah and Ramesh Kumar Sah - to judicial custody for further investigation.
Meanwhile, Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has decided to send a team of experts to support the DRI´s investigation into the case. An NRB source said the team will comprise of officials from the central bank and the Department of Customs.
"The team will be dispatched to Birgunj soon to speed up the ongoing probe into the suspected abuse of IC," said the source.
DRI already has been conducting the investigation with seven-member team lead by its director Mohan Lal Chand.
Related story
DRI unearths 300 new cases of IC misappropriation
