Gov to probe land acquired by former Minister's son in PM's quarter

The Nepal government has ordered probe into alleged transfer of ownership of a piece of land, situated inside the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar, to various individuals, including the son of the ruling Nepal Communist Party General Secretary Bishnu Poudel, government spokesperson and Communication Minister Gokul Prasad Banskota said on Friday.

"It has come to light that one of the owners of a plot of land in the Baluwatar area is ruling NCP leader is son of Paudel, Nabin. The former finance minister's son had bought about 2,740 sq ft (eight aanas) of land in Lalita Niwas, the PM quarters at Baluwatar," Banskota told reporters.

He also said that Poudel was not involved in the "shady" deal and innocent.

"He was cheated by some land mafia," the Minister said.

Baskota said "anyone found guilty, whether they are from the ruling or opposition parties, will be punished as per the law".

The Nepal's Central Investigation Bureau and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority are investigating the case.

According to government sources, some pieces of land in Baluwatar area had been illegally occupied by private citizens and it was also found that the land was divided into parcels and sold to different people.

The report of former finance minister's son acquiring a piece of land of the PM's residential area has gone viral in social media, causing furore in the country.