Makwanpur, Feb. 25 -- The police have initiated the investigation over the suspicious death of Rabi Thapa, the personal secretary to Madhu Kumar Shrestha, the Minister for Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation in Bagmati Province. Thapa committed suicide by consuming pesticide tablets on Monday afternoon at a friend's residence in Kalanki, Kathmandu, the police said.

Thapa, a resident of Dhunibesi Municipality-9 in Dhading district, was reportedly distressed following the release of an audio recording implicating him in a cooperative-related scandal. The controversy revolves around the Sumero Savings and Credit Cooperative Limited, which the ministry declared as "troubled" on January 12.

The leaked audio allegedly captured a conversation...