Poudel Demands Answers Over Phone Kept at PM Adviser's Home
Nepali Congress general secretary Pradeep Poudel has objected to talk of party president Gagan Thapa's arrest and demanded an impartial investigation into a seized mobile phone that was kept at the prime minister's chief adviser's home for two days.
Published November 8, 2026 1:01 pm GMT+0545
Nepali Congress general secretary Pradeep Poudel has said rumours that party president Gagan Kumar Thapa is about to be arrested will not bury the questions raised over a seized mobile phone kept at the prime minister's chief adviser's home.
In a statement on Sunday, Poudel said the talk of Thapa's arrest was an attempt to shift attention away from the questions that need answers. He demanded a fair investigation into the phone and said the truth should be made public on the basis of facts and evidence.
The phone belonged to Inam Sapkota and was seized by police during an investigation. Poudel said it was kept at the private home of Kumar Ben, the prime minister's chief political adviser, for two days before it was sent for forensic testing.
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During that time, he said, the phone was used to access WhatsApp and Facebook, screenshots were taken from it and some messages were deleted. He said seized digital evidence should remain in police control, and asked how the phone reached the adviser's home, on whose orders it was kept there and what was done with it in that time.
Poudel also asked what relationship the prime minister and his office had with the middleman at the centre of the case, and who had protected him for so long. He said the answers must come from those involved, and that whoever is guilty should face action under the law.
He raised sections 92 and 93 of the Muluki Criminal Code, 2074, which cover destroying evidence, protecting offenders and affecting an investigation, and asked the government to take advice from its legal advisers on the matter.
"Power is yours, the government is yours, and you have influence over the police and the administration. But the law is not yours. Justice is not your private property," Poudel said in his statement.
He said the questions would keep being raised until an impartial investigation was completed and the facts were made public, and warned against turning an investigation into a weapon of political revenge.
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