In the statement to a probe committee formed by the home minister, the family claimed involvement of bank employees in the abduction and asked the committee to base its investigation on it. The committee led by SP Ram Prasad Shrestha was formed following pressure from various leaders including former home minister Govinda Raj Joshi. [break]
A probe committee formed earlier by District Administration Office, Dhading, had failed to reach any conclusion.
Bishwanath was abducted by two persons, who came in a red vehicle, from the quarters of the Central Rural Development Bank at Gajuri on May 23. Bishwanath´s wife Shobha said the abductors had initially asked for a ransom of Rs 600,000 but there has been no further contact thereafter.
Shobha made the claims about involvement of bank employees after the abductors repeatedly contacted bank employee Bal Bahadur Dhital. She also claimed that her husband had left for Kathmandu but was repeatedly called to office by the bank. She smelt rat in the missing of important bank documents after his abduction.
Bishwanath had left his home in Ghansikuwa-3, Tanahun, on May 22 after spending the weekend with the family.
She claimed that her husband´s relation with the bank´s director Ram Dev BK had soured after BK tried to transfer Bishwanath to Banepa and promote Bishnu Pokharel to his post.
“The fact that bank employees spread rumors that he has eloped and settled with another woman and is living happily also proves involvement of the bank staffers,” she argued.
Dhading Police had kept deputy manager Pokharel and Bal Bahadur Dhital under observation but failed to dig further into the incident.
Bishwanath´s younger brother Udayanath revealed that a group claiming itself to be Democratic Security Force had called the following day to own up the abduction. But there is no such organization by that name.
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