Kist Bank staffer held for fraud

The police today arrested six people for defrauding Kist Bank of Rs 8 million.

“We have arrested six people – including head teller at the Thamel branch of Kist Bank Rohit Lal Shrestha (34) – for defrauding the bank of Rs 8 million on August 26,” said the Metropolitan Police Crime Division, here today.

Laxman Adhikari (26) of Gorkha, Prakash Nepali (24) of Chitwan, Rameshwar Paudel (26) of Nuwakot, Amrit Tamang Lama (33) of Kavre and Krishna Sijwal (44) of Pyuthan are other arrested by the police.

The division had formed an investigation team under SP Hari Bahadur Pal after Kist Bank sought police help on August 26.

 “Thamel branch teller head Shrestha was the mastermind behind the plot,” said the police. “He had hiring five people to execute the plan,” the police said, adding that Shrestha had planned to clear his debt with the money.

“According to Shrestha’s plan, Paudel called the Thamel branch office asking for Rs 8 million,” the police said. “He identified himself as manager of the bank’s Kalanki branch Gyanendra Khadka and said that he was sending Nepali and Sijwal to the Thamel branch to collect cash his branch has run out of cash.”
 Shrestha was well aware that branch offices would help each other out in case of cash crunch. According to the plan, Nepali and Sijwal – clad in bank uniform – went to Thamel branch office ‘to receive the cash’ and Shrestha made the payment.

Shrestha alone got Rs 2.9 million, while others shared Rs 100,000 to Rs 2.2 million, according to the Police that has managed to recover Rs 6.58 million and a Pulsar bike Lama had bought with the cash.

After executing the plan and sharing the cash, Adhikari and Nepali fled to India, while others stayed in Kathmandu.  
A special team from the division had brought the two from India with support from Indian police.

Police has charged Shrestha and his accomplices with fraud but investigating on possibility of bank’s other staff’s involvement.