Investigative Reports

How Nepal’s Satyadevi village connected to int’l drug trafficking network  

In the past four decades northern villages of Dhading have been connected in global cases of drug trafficking, trading and selling. This story exposes drug connection of Satyadevi village to Pakistan, South East Asian countries and Australia. 

Mani Dahal: Center for Investigative Journalism-Nepal 

Internet fraud: Helpless consumers, apathetic regulator

Fraud is rampant in Nepal’s internet service. It is committed in two ways: by not delivering even a fourth of the agreed data speed, and not restoring service immediately after disruption. While this has been going on for quite sometime, the regulator Nepal Telecommunication Authority hesitates to punish service providers.

Saraswati Dhakal: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

How banks enabled Nepal’s biggest fraud and ruined people’s life

Six hundred families sank their life savings into the promise of an apartment. Other 7000 people have lost their savings in a cooperative. The scam masterminded and executed by builder Sudheer Basnet is Nepal’s biggest. But his victims, after fighting for justice for five years, have lost faith on the government. They have been forced to go back to Basnet, a convicted fraudster. A case study, which sheds light on the rule of law in Nepal.

 

Rudra Pangeni: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

An unknown nexus of Nepali child trafficking

A revelation of how a substantial number of Nepali children are trafficked to the United States and Europe in the name of adoption. A record at the US State Department and the Hague-based HCCH exposes several Nepali children who have been trafficked to several countries such as France, Italy, Norway, and Canada.

Akash Chhetri: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

One year of Nepaleaks Money laundering: Political-administrative protection for big financial offences

While the government tries to influence the economically active group showing that it has been setting up the legal and institutional mechanisms to prevent the country from being blacklisted over the issue of money laundering, it has been providing political and administrative protection for potentially huge financial offences.

Krishna Acharya: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Study in state’s fund, serve in a foreign land

After studying MBBS on government scholarship spending Rs 4 million, fresh graduates leave the country in the name of pursuing higher studies in a foreign land. An irony explained.

Pragya Timsina: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Misuse of Residential Buildings Raises Safety Concerns

Across urban Nepal, a growing number of hospitals, schools, offices and grocery stores are housed in residential buildings. The misuse of buildings is so widespread that many even don’t know it’s illegal.

Rudra Pangeni: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Corruption in the pristine land: 500 million for not a single trail

In the last decade, Rs 500 million has been spent to develop infrastructure and facilities in Khaptad, the far-western land with stunning natural and cultural heritage. But not a single trail has been constructed yet. A case study that depicts the vicious circle of Nepal’s corruption.

Bidhya Rai/Basanta Pratap Singh  Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

President’s Women Upliftment Programme fails in its mission as eight new mothers die in Taplejung in a year

Sixteen women have died in Taplejung in the past three years from excessive bleeding while delivering babies at home. Health volunteers, local people’s representatives and state agencies shrug off their responsibility saying ‘we had no information’.

Sitaram Guragain: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Under the guise of humanitarian aid, high-profile paedophiles are abusing Nepali children

Loose laws, illiteracy and poverty, along with an unsuspicious welcome of foreigners, have turned Nepal into a haven for Western paedophiles.

Janakraj Sapkota : Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Nepal’s new loan sharks

How a cabal of moneylenders and real estate brokers have pulled six farmers of Kaski, a rich landlord of Kathmandu and a popular singer into debt trap, forcing them to give up their property.

Rudra Pangeni: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Greed at its peak: Elected local representatives pocketing allowances unlawfully

Local-level representatives have mired in the culture of the greed of receiving bloated allowances, and perks – a gesture of political vanity. A bitter irony is that the country has never been worse governed. The Office of the Auditor-General has instructed the authorities concerned to payback the allowances and perks taken illegally.

Bharat Pandey: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

A non-existent person wins case in court stunning entire village folks

In what can be dubbed as a stupendous verdict, the District Court, Rupandehi gave its verdict in favor of a person who did not even exist. The Butwal Appellate Court endorsed the decision, and the Supreme Court did not bother to revisit the case. A ‘case study’ of how Nepal’s judiciary truly works!

Ekal Silwal: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

Social network insecure for women

Among the victims of crimes committed through social media, more than 80 per cent are women.

Ajabi Poudyal: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

‘Well-connected’ liaison officers behind Everest scams

A powerful group of liaison officers (LOs) pocketed millions of rupees and helped award summit certificates to fake climbers. Some LOs even toured the Everest Base Camp by helicopters and returned to Kathmandu. A complicated collusion between LOs and expedition agencies tells a horrific story behind the scam to award summit certificate to fake Everest climbers. We expose the individuals who never went to the EBC to carry out their duties as LOs.

Bhadra Sharma: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

How a business group turned Nepal’s only international airport into its private fiefdom

A business group has made immense profit from a multi-story building that failed to comply with the agreement. The way the group got away with illegal acts not only shows how government agencies kowtow to business people, but also tears apart the state of rule of law in the country.

Sharad Ojha: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal      

The other side of Tikapur incident: Innocent behind bars

Nepal’s judicial system jails innocent people, that too intentionally. The following are the stories of Bisa Ram Chaudhary, Ram Naresh Chaudhary and Nural Ali Jaga who spent three years behind bars for a crime they did not commit.

JB Pun Magar: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal


‘5,000 individuals have grabbed 1,800 ropani public land in Kathmandu’

Revelations of the 1,350-page Rawal Commission Report obtained through use of the Right to Information. With the names and addresses of people named by the commission as encroachers of government and public land, and plot numbers of the encroached areas.

Akash Chhetri: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal

How local officials have turned hydropower projects into cash cow

Officials of local bodies have obstructed works on hydro plants in their areas in order to extract donations for themselves and their party’s cadres

Bhim Gautam: Centre for Investigative Journalism-Nepal