Himal Hub / Former Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu, Chhabi Rijal, has been arrested by a team from the Crime Investigation Office on Tuesday morning.
Rijal had been serving as Kathmandu’s CDO during the Gen Z protests. During that period, on September 8, he had ordered security personnel to open fire on demonstrators amid the movement.
Prior to his role as CDO, Rijal headed the Administration Division at Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs. During the tenure of then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, he faced allegations of acting against professional ethics in the assignment of personnel to immigration and other high-revenue offices.
According to a case filed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority at the Special Court, Rijal is currently under investigation on corruption charges linked to his time leading the Administration Division.
The anti-corruption body has also said investigations are ongoing against several individuals mentioned in official records and diaries, including Lekhak’s personal secretary Badri Tiwari, aide Janak Bhatt, Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, and Tribhuvan International Airport’s Chief Immigration Officer Tirtharaj Bhattarai, over suspected irregularities and possible collusion.
