In a surprising turn of events, the complainant in the high-profile contractor arrest case, Rajkumar Baral, was also arrested—and not the accused—following a complaint he himself had lodged. The case, which revolves around alleged banking malpractice, initially led to the arrest of controversial contractor Manoj Bhetwal about five days ago, confirmed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bishwo Adhikari of the Kathmandu District Police Office.
Baral was arrested by the same police team that arrested Bhetwal, according to SSP Adhikari. “Charges were filed against Baral as well, so we arrested him and were about to present him in front of the government prosecutor. Since the police had no further extension from the court to hold him, we released him on interim bail,” he added, “But the investigation continues even after his release.”
The case centers on a bounced check worth approximately NPR 100 million (around USD 7.5 million), which was issued from Bhetwal’s side. Baral had also complained that Bhetwal charged excessively high interest—alleging a “metered” or usurious lending arrangement. Following this revelation, police launched an investigation into Baral, leading to his arrest.
Before Baral and Bhetwal were detained, police had also arrested Bhetwal’s associate, Naresh Kumar Chengwang, who worked at Jaleswor B.K. Builders Pvt Ltd. Chengwang was arrested by the police team from Tari Khana (Janasewa Police Unit).
This is not Bhetwal’s first brush with the law. He was previously arrested by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on 21 Falgun 2077 (early March 2021) on charges that he built 40 unauthorized stalls on public land in Jwalmadan, Kathmandu. He has also faced earlier allegations of fraud, banking offenses, hawala transactions, foreign exchange violations, and misuse of government land. His close connections with former Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya helped him secure numerous municipal contracts during his tenure.
