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More details on Taktshang case
Recently, the RBP completed its investigation of the monument fees in Chimi Lhakhang against four Desuups of which two are male and two are female.
The Chimi Lhakhang did not have its own separate bank account for the collection of monument fees.
Instead, the four Desuups all opened BoB Bank Accounts on 1st October 2022 probably to receive their monthly salaries and these personal accounts were used to also receive the monument fees, money from each other and guides.
The RBP investigation found that the 4 personal BoB accounts while being opened on 1st October 2022 had a total balance of Nu 17,698 between the four of them.
However, between 1st October 2022 to 9th July 2024 the four accounts received Nu 38.43 million (mn) Ngultrums in deposits. Of this Nu 15.09 mn was deposited in to the Punakha Dzongkhag account as monument fees.
Nu 2.101 mn was the salary of the four over 20 months.
The big mystery for the RBP is where the remaining Nu 21.240 mn came from and where did it go.
The four Desuups have not accepted any guilt, but the RBP is not convinced by their explanations ranging from personal funds to currency exchange to collecting money for Puth and so has forwarded the matter to the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) for investigation.
The RBP is suspicious as they opened the accounts with minimal deposits, got millions in deposits in 20 months, there were a lot of financial transactions between the four of them and others and just around the time when the Taktsang Monument case came out in the public domain in July 2024 all four drained out their accounts of millions, closed the old account and opened new BoB accounts with minimal balance. The four also opened accounts in other banks like BDBL, T- Bank, BNB and Digital Kidu.
Two of the Desuups were at the ticket counter while the jobs of the other two Desuups were to validate the tickets.
In the case of Dessup 1 (female) at the counter, she opened her BoB Account on 1st October 2022 and closed it on 9th July 2024.
A total of around Nu 14 mn was credited in her account of which she deposited around Nu 9 mn to the Dzongkhag as monument fees with Nu 484,241 being her pay.
She deposited Nu 1.77 mn into her personal accounts, Nu 1.95 mn in the accounts of her 3 Desuup colleagues, Nu 417,438 to guides, Nu 1.38 mn was used for personal use and various purposes.
Desuup 2 (male) at the counter opened his personal BoB account number on 1st October 2022 and closed it on 17th July 2024.
During this time his BoB account was credited by around Nu 17 mn of which around Nu 5.4 mn was deposited to the Dzongkhag account as monument fees.
Nu 5.5 mn was deposited to the accounts of the three Dessups, Nu 2 mn went to his other personal accounts, Nu 3.5 mn to others, Nu 427,848 to guides and his salary was Nu 464,241.
Desuup 3 (male) at the verification point opened his BoB account on 1st October 2022 and closed it on 9th July 2024.
His account in this duration saw Nu 2.20 mn in deposits of which Nu 1 mn was from his three Desuup colleagues, 552,560 was salary and Nu 85,680 were from guides.
He gave Nu 64,227 to his Desuup colleagues, Nu 41,480 to guides and Nu 2 mn to others.
Desuup 4 (female) also at the verification point opened her BoB account on 1st October 2022 and closed it on 11th July 2024.
She received Nu 3.27 mn in her accounts of which Nu 1.13 mn was from Desuup colleagues, Nu 109,410 by guides, Nu 1.4 mn from other sources and Nu 563,064 as salary.
She deposited Nu 1.18 mn to her other personal account, Nu 1.41 mn to others, Nu 656,040 to three other Desuup colleagues and Nu 12,715 to guides.
The monument fee for Chimi Lhakhang was initially set at Nu 1,000 for adults and 50% discount for those below 18 and free for five and below. From September 2023 it was made 500 for adults and those below 18 got a 50% discount.
The police suspect the same modus operandi as the Taktshang Monument case minus police officials this time where allegedly guides and Desuups collaborated together.
While the RBP has been able to track the bank or online payment records above, they have no track of the cash payments which are usually made by Indian tourists.
The Chimi Lhakhang case involves lesser people but financially it is the biggest case so far.
The police also investigated the Changangkha Lhakhang and while there were deposits in the accounts of the Desuups there the amounts were much smaller and the RBP at the moment could not prove anything. The case has been handed over to the ACC to investigate and find out more if there is anything.
Meanwhile, more details have emerged in the Taktshang Monument fee case.
33 police personnel were involved from Paro between the ranks of Chuma and Drim Gom but no officers were involved. The police personnel were all terminated with no benefits. The RBP bank record investigation show that some police personnel benefitted by 9,000 on the lower end and others got Nu 170,000 on the higher end.
The master minds in the Taktshang case were the guides as they are the ones who took the Nu 1,000 entry fee from all tourists and if they had money for 10 tickets they would only buy five and share the money with the police personnel who were supposed to check the tickets and also the ticket counter officials appointed by the Dzongkhag. Sometimes smaller amounts were given to the drivers too.
The RBP found numerous transactions of small amounts between the police personnel, 377 guides and the Dzongkhag ticket officials.
While the police could track the bank transactions it could not get hold of any cash shared between them.
The Taktshang case has been given to the ACC. The RBP investigation took action against the RBP personnel but it did not call the guides. The ACC investigation will also involve the guides and others.
In Punakha Dzong 4 police personnel were found to have embezzled Nu 170,000 and they too were removed.
The Tourism Department has received the list of 377 guides involved in the Taktshang case and it will await further investigation by the ACC before taking any action.
The ACC may find the involvement of guides in the Chimi Lhakhang and Punakha cases and so their numbers could go up.
i hope such cases get reduced in the future.