Alok Rauniyar, 42, and Deep Bahadur Basnet, 44, of Fishtail Gaming, the operator of the casino at the Pokhara-based resort, were arrested in Kathmandu on Monday evening. They were transferred to Pokhara the same day. [break]
Although police were supposed to initiate further investigations against the two from Tuesday, they could not do so as it was a public holiday. The two will appear in court on Wednesday, according to Superintendant of Police Sailesh Thapa, Kaski district police chief.
The two, along with Rajat Gurwacharya and Sanjiv Tuladhar, had opened the casino at Fulbari Resort and Spa around four years ago without obtaining permission from the government. When this came to the notice of the Ministry of Industry, the casino was shut down just months after coming into operations.
The promoters of the gaming company then fled, without settling liabilities totalling Rs 45.72 million, including salaries for 300 staff members, building rent and due amounts for the purchase of food, beverage and other items.
Following this, Fulbari Resort and Spa went to court. The court issued a verdict in favor of Fulbari Resort and ordered Kaski District Police Office to initiate necessary investigations against the promoters of the gaming company.
“Based on the court order, we had issued an arrest warrant against the four in Baisakh (April-May),” Kaski police spokesperson Rabindra Poudel told Republica. “We were able to nab two of them after nine months. We´ll arrest the remaining two also soon.”
If proven guilty, the four could be slapped prison sentences of up to five years and fines of up to 150 percent of the claimed amount.
The promoters of Fishtail Gaming, registered in the name of Gurwacharya and Tuladhar, had left 300 employees of the company high and dry after their disappearance. Businessmen who had supplied various goods to the company were also clueless how to get their payments.
When the situation became precarious, Fulbari Resort and Spa started providing food and shelter to many of the gaming company´s employees. The resort also took over its financial liabilities and started running the casino itself. Currently, some 100 people are employed at the casino.
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