Corruption in the Armed Police Force (APF) was exposed after four of its inspector generals including a sitting chief were probed by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) over charges of pocketing millions of rupees illegally during their stay in office. The heads of the paramilitary force, once better known for its courage in countering Maoist guerrillas during the conflict era, have now been tainted by corruption. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kosh Raj Onta became the first head of the elite force to be suspended over corruption charges. He is accused of pocketing millions of rupees while procuring and supplying goods to the force units. Following a CIAA directive, the government suspended him fearing his stay in power could influence the investigation or result in the destruction of evidence. A preliminary investigation carried out by the anti-graft body shows that Onta pocketed Rs 70 million by working in collusion with suppliers and producing fake documents. The CIAA has released him on bail of Rs 100 million. The anti-graft body suspects that millions were embezzled by calling tenders internally. It has not yet examined the charges against Onta of misusing funds while procuring materials for the paramilitary force and possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Onta comes from an engineering background and was appointed as the head of the paramilitary force in 2012, breaking the tradition of force commanders leading the institution. Soon after assuming office, he was engulfed in controversy over alleged corruption. When CIAA investigators interrogated Onta about the allegations, he not only admitted misusing funds but also fingered his predecessors saying that arranging extra money to celebrate special functions was a traditional practice. Acting on information provided by Onta, the anti-graft body has launched a corruption probe against three former IGPs—Basudev Oli, Shailendra Shrestha and Sanat Kumar Basnet.
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