KATHMANDU, Nov 4 - One of the notorious gang leaders of Kathmandu
Valley, Rajiv Gurung alias Dipak Manange, was released on Saturday
after he deposited the bail amount asked by Kathmandu District Court
(KDC).
Police had filed a case against him at KDC after he and his
accomplices made a murder attempt on one Kaji Sherpa at Bishalnagar on
February 21. According to Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD),
Hanumandhoka, Manange had been absconding before he finally produced
himself at KDC on October 4.
Police officials at MPCD claimed
that Manange had come from India after learning that KDC had freed him
on a bail of Rs 25,000. Surprisingly, his accomplice Ashok Rai, who
faces the same charge, is still in judicial custody.
Manange was
put in Dillibazar Prison over a murder attempt on March 31, 2005.
Thanks to his strong nexus with political party leaders and a few
'corrupt' police officials, the authorities had not only provided him
with a separate room but also gave him the title of Bhai Naike the day
he stepped into jail last year. The title allowed him to get released
two months and 20 days before completion of his jail term.
As
per existing Prison Regulations, such a title is awarded to someone
among the prison inmates who knows all the other prisoners in person,
has good conduct, and is serving a long jail-term.
Sources at
the prison said Manage continued to enjoy a separate room even as 30
other prisoners were once sent to Hanumandhoka due to shortage of space
at the penitentiary. Contrary to the existing rules, the authorities
had also allowed him unmonitored communications facilities including a
cell phone and meetings with his friends on a regular basis while in
prison.
Officials at the Department of Prison Management (DoPM)
said Manange even got his room repaired on his own last year for his
own personnel comfort. "Later, we released the budget to pay the money
he spent on the repair work," admitted an official at DoPM.
Prior
to this, Manange has already served prison terms over three separate
attempted murder cases, besides dozen others crimes including
extortions. Apprehensive of further crimes on part of gang, police had
detained him for a day to acquire fresh details about him before
setting him free today. He is claimed to have over 300 accomplices
including some three dozen 'committed' members in Kathmandu valley and
various other parts of the country to unleash criminal activities.
Police
Investigation officers are frustrated over this state of affairs.
"These criminals are not arrested at all. Even if they are arrested and
sent to prisons, they never get the chance to sense that they are in
prison with rigorous restrictions," a police official at MPCD said
venting his anger. "How would there be an effective criminal justice
system when such perpetrators get protection from political party
leaders for their own vested interests?"
A former president of
the Nepali Congress-aligned Nepal Tarun Dal in Manang district, Manange
is allegedly backed by central leaders of the ruling Nepali Congress.
Previously, he is also said to have been close to the Pashupati
Shumsher Rana-led Rastriya Prajatantra Party. A reliable police source
said senior NC leaders and so-called influential persons had approached
the police not to arrest him again.
