DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇵 Nepal /Crime & Justice

Abhishek Giri’s alleged empire of influence, extortion and financial control under police scanner

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Police in Nepal arrested Biratnagar figure Abhishek Giri on June 27 for alleged involvement in illegal financial dealings, extortion, and organized crime.
  • Investigations revealed Giri's alleged continued influence within Morang District Jail, with funds from inmate labor reportedly channeled to his associates.
  • Authorities are examining Giri's alleged broader network, including suspicious bank transactions, forced property transfers, and financial coercion, following a complaint from a construction entrepreneur.

Controversial figure Abhishek Giri was arrested in Biratnagar, Nepal, on June 27 amid allegations of a wide-ranging empire of influence, extortion, and financial control. Police found a cash-counting machine, gold, and cash during a search of his residence.

Giri was initially investigated for collecting inmate allowances from Morang District Jail. However, the probe expanded, with police uncovering evidence of his involvement in broader illegal financial dealings and organized activities. Superintendent of Police Kabit Katuwal stated that indications of involvement in various illegal activities have emerged, and further evidence is being collected.

We have found indications of his involvement in various illegal activities as the investigation has expanded. We are collecting further evidence based on those findings.

— Kabit KatuwalSuperintendent of Police and chief of the District Police Office Morang, explaining the widening scope of the investigation into Abhishek Giri's activities.

After spending time in police custody, the High Court in Biratnagar ordered Giri's release on personal recognisance on July 7. However, he was immediately detained again outside the court by a team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB). The CIB initiated a separate investigation based on a complaint from construction entrepreneur Subash Shrestha, who accused Giri of fraud, breach of trust, and obtaining unlawful benefits.

Shrestha's complaint alleges that Giri used political connections to promise government contracts for financial gain and later took control of Shrestha's construction company as a subcontractor. Since Giri's arrest, complaints have escalated, including allegations of suspicious bank transactions, forced property transfers, threats, and financial coercion. Investigators are also scrutinizing Giri's alleged continued influence inside Morang District Jail, where funds from inmate labor, such as the sale of stools and carpets, were reportedly channeled to accounts linked to him and his associates, amounting to approximately Rs10.7 million.

Payments from the sale of products made by inmates and some allowances distributed to them appear to have been collected through his associates.

— Yubaraj KattelMorang Chief District Officer, detailing how funds generated from inmate labor at Morang District Jail were allegedly channeled to Giri's associates.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog