Kathmandu: In a surprising turn of events, Sipika Khetan, the person who voluntarily returned the government-owned land purchased by Lalita Niwas through illegal means in Baluwatar, has been released against any charges. The Central Investigation Bureau of the police decided to keep her as a “government witness” in court after seeking advice from the government attorney’s office.

Sipika Khetan, who bought 8 ana (approximately 224 square meters) of land in Lalita Niwas from Bhushan Bhattarai and the land mafia, was arrested around fifteen years ago. She had paid around five lakhs as a rate per ana during the purchase. Although Khetan did not mention in any process that she bought the land from the government, the bureau had requested an opinion from the district government attorney’s office. After the office clarified that there was no need to make her a witness in the case, she was released from custody, and the Malpot office was informed about her willingness to return the land.

In the Lalita Niwas land scam case, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority had filed a special case in court on Magh 22, 2076, against those involved, including Supreme Court Justice Kumar Regmi and the son of Nepali Congress leader Vishnu Poudel. However, out of the 65 people who claimed to have bought land through illegal means, Sipika Khetan was not among those charged. Justice Regmi had bought one ana, and Poudel’s son had purchased eight ana from Bhushan Bhattarai.

According to SSP Dinesh Acharya, who led the investigation, Bhatbhateni Developers Pvt. Ltd. and DLLF Pvt. Ltd. had encroached upon and sold government land after purchasing it from Bhushan Bhattarai and the land mafia. The bureau has informed that the number of lands registered in the names of land mafia and government land buyers is about 40. The land, which was given to the family of former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa as compensation, was seized and taken over by the Rana family after the political change of 2046. After that, the land was sold after plotting.

After the investigation, the police arrested 20 people, including five former secretaries. Five including SSP Dinesh Acharya are absconding.

After Sipika Khetan’s release, Samriddhi Company’s former chief Ramesh Kumar Pokharel, based on the “Medical Report,” has also been released from custody. Secretary of the Ministry of Communication, Krishna Bahadur Raut, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court. Former secretaries Sudhir Shah and Kaladhar Deuja, along with 20 other accused, are currently in custody.