The Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) has begun an inquiry into the burnt banknotes reportedly discovered at the residences of senior political leaders during the recent Gen-Z protests. Officials have collected samples of the charred currency for examination.
According to the department, samples have been taken from the homes of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, and former Energy Minister Deepak Khadka. Investigators collected fragments of burnt notes and ash from Deuba’s residence in Budhanilkantha, Dahal’s residence in Khumlatar, and Khadka’s house.
The team prepared official reports on the evidence while gathering the samples. Videos circulating on social media had earlier claimed that cash was hidden in underground vaults and burned during the attacks.
However, Deuba’s secretariat dismissed the videos as fabricated, exaggerated, and misleading, describing them as attempts to defame him. In a statement issued on Asoj 2, Deuba’s aide Bhanu Deuba said the footage was purely fictional and shared with malicious intent.
On Bhadra 24, protesters vandalized and set fire to the homes of Deuba and Khadka. Videos and photos showing burnt Nepali and foreign banknotes emerged on social media after the incident. Forensic testing of the currency has not yet been completed.
Police restricted public access to the leaders’ homes three days after the fire, and the department launched its investigation about a week and a half later.
Officials stated that if forensic tests confirm the burnt notes to be genuine, the concerned leaders could face a money laundering investigation, and any illegally obtained assets would also fall under scrutiny.
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