KATHMANDU, May 21: The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on Wednesday raided the Immigration Office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and seized several documents and electronic devices as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged bribery.
The anti-graft body took the step following complaints that immigration officials had been illegally collecting large sums of money from workers traveling abroad. Acting on the information, the CIAA deployed a team on Wednesday to confiscate relevant materials and initiate further investigation.
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According to sources, the raid was prompted by increasing complaints about a bribery network operating within the office. The CIAA team seized documents and devices believed to be linked to the alleged irregularities, including those related to the office head.
Just a day before the raid, the Ministry of Home Affairs had transferred the then chief of the Immigration Office, Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, and appointed Under Secretary Bishnu Prasad Koirala, who previously served as the Chief District Officer of Panchthar, as his replacement.
The CIAA has also taken Bhattarai into custody for questioning in connection with the case.
