Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) on Tuesday arrested a head constable of the Armed Police Force (APF) on charge of setting fire in a storeroom of the APF headquarters in Halchowk.

Head Constable Ram Krishna Shrestha was arrested following a police investigation into the fire that occurred on the night of December 11. Properties worth Rs 2.5 million, including some important documents were destroyed in the incident. “We found involvement of Shrestha in the arson. Further investigation is underway,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Dibesh Lohani, chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division. Another senior official investigating the case said that Shrestha was recently summoned by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) regarding procurements of the security forces. “He was worried that his involvement in financial embezzlement might come out and he might lose his job,” said the officer.

Shrestha has already confessed to the wrongdoing, according to MPCD. He told police in his statement that he wanted to destroy the documents that showed financial discrepancies.

On the night of December 11, Shrestha had kept the file near the window and sprinkled petrol over it before setting the fire. Shrestha had sustained minor burn injuries.

Regarding the involvement of senior police officials and chances that Shrestha had committed the arson at their instruction, the investigating officer said they could not find any link of other officials in the incident.

Two teams, one formed by the Home Ministry and another by the APF, are probing the case. Besides, a seven-member team under AIG Prem Kumar Shahi, was also formed to probe into the matter which had also expressed suspicion of wrongdoing by officials within the system. Shrestha is currently being detained at the  Metropolitan Police Circle in Swoyambhu.