Nepal’s Department of Money Laundering Investigation has opened an inquiry into cash allegedly found at the burned residences of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and outgoing energy minister Deepak Khadka, following site visits and evidence collection this week. The move comes after videos circulated online appearing to show bundles of Nepali and foreign currency amid the debris of both homes, which were attacked during recent unrest.
Officials gathered ashes and fragments of partially burned banknotes from both locations and initiated checks of visual materials that surfaced on social media, according to Khabarhub. The department is expected to escalate to a full money-laundering case only if forensic review confirms the materials are genuine currency, the outlet reported.
The department has also prepared to examine damage sites at other senior leaders’ residences, including that of former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, as part of the same line of inquiry, Ekantipur/Kantipur reported.
Deuba’s secretariat has rejected claims that caches of money or a “money tunnel” were discovered at his Budhanilkantha home, calling the online scenes misleading and defamatory. Nepali Outlets noted that police sealed both properties within days of the arson and that investigators reached the sites nearly two weeks after the fires.
The probe comes in the aftermath of violent protests that targeted government buildings and the homes of prominent politicians. Demonstrators’ attacks on multiple residences, including those of top leaders, were documented during the September unrest.
Under Nepali law, investigators typically must establish that assets were illicitly earned before pursuing corruption or money-laundering charges. Khabarhub reported that if the burned materials are verified as currency, the department could widen the investigation, with potential referrals to other anti-graft bodies based on what the evidence shows.
The protests, part of the Gen-Z movement, targeted political corruption and led to the torching of several leaders’ homes, amplifying calls for accountability.
Deuba couple and Khadka have not publicly commented beyond the secretariat’s denial cited by local outlets.
Officials continue to analyze the forensic evidence as the investigation unfolds.
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