Itahari, July 17 

The Section Officer of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City Office, Bikash Pokharel, has been nabbed red-handed by a team of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

The CIAA team caught Pokharel red-handed with the bribe amount of Rs. 65,000. Pokharel was caught red-handed Thursday afternoon while taking bribes from a service-seeker.

Pokharel is the Section Officer at the Account Department of the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City Office. He was arrested at Samip Hotel and Khaja Ghar of B.P. Chowk, Itahari. According to a local who did not want to be named, Pokharel was caught seconds after he stopped his two-wheeler (Ko 38 Pa 3594) without removing the key, approached inside hotel and took the bribed cash.

According to the Pradeep Kumar Koirala, the CIAA spokesperson, Pokharel was arrested acting on a complaint by a service seeker. Pokharel is accused of asking bribes for the transaction of grade eight exam by the Education Department of the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City Office. Pokharel, a permanent inhabitant of Itahari-6.

Local Government insiders say he was preparing to join his job at a federal government-run office in the near future. This is the second red-hand case at Itahari after the arrival of elected representatives. Two years ago on 17 August 2018, the Ward Secretary of Itahari Ward Number 10, Bidur Regmi, was caught red-handed at Rose Rock Mo:Mo House of Itahari-6.

He was caught with bribe amount of Rs. 13,000. Regmi was detained by a team of CIAA regional office Itahari led by Police Inspector Rajan Karki in civilian dress