Three more held in connection with bomb blast at ex-minister Baskota’s house

KATHMANDU, March 20: Police on Thursday arrested three more individuals in connection with their involvement bomb blast at former Minister for Communication and Information Technology Gokul Baskota’s house in Lokanthali Bhaktapur.

According to SSP Sahakul Thapa, a team of the Metropolitan Crime Division held Laxman Shetti and Amrit Kumal of Kailali and Abhishek Giri of Kalikote.

The arrestees will be made public on Friday.

A pressure cooker bomb had gone off at Baskota’s house on the morning of March 11. No injuries and casualties were reported.

A hand out was recovered from the blast site which claimed that the bomb was detonated by the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) led by Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplav’ as “punishment for Baskota’s corruption”.

Baskota subsequently resigned from his post on February 20 after an audio conversation of him negotiating for Rs 700 million bribe with a local Swiss company over a contract for security printing press was leaked in the social media.

The police had arrested CPN Bhaktapur District Committee member Dev Bahadur Gurung from Jadibuti hours after the explosion.