THIMPHU: The royal Bhutan police arrested two people in connection with the royal insurance corporation of Bhutan (RICBL) embezzlement case involving over Nu 10m, after the corporation’s cashier, Kencho Namgay, went missing on June 15. The two arrested were a former employee of RICBL and a Bank of Bhutan (BoBL) employee in its Mongar branch. They are charged with reportedly abetting Kencho Namgay, 42, in the embezzlement.

Kencho Namgay’s whereabouts are still not known. Police and RICBL are still investing the case.

Sources told Kuensel that Kencho Namgay had embezzled cash and forged do*****ents since the 1990s. The embezzlement case was brought to light only after he went missing. After Kencho went missing under mysterious cir*****stances, police and his family, along with the RICBL staff, frantically searched for him in all possible places, even thinking that ‘evil spirits’ had possessed him. His family and friends had performed rituals and consulted a shaman.

Kencho was with the RICBL branch in Thimphu and later transferred to Paro in March this year. After he went missing, according to sources, the cashier, who took his place, discovered the shortages. However, he informed Kencho instead of letting the management know. Kencho had promised the cashier that he would recover the shortages but absconded instead.

Kencho had joined the office as a peon and was later appointed as a sub-staff. His job mainly involved depositing cheques with BoBL and handling of cash.

On June 15, Kencho Namgay’s family lodged a missing person’s report with Paro police and a search team was deployed. After registering at the Chunzom checkpoint around 7.25 a.m., he parked his Hilux some distance away from the bridge on the way to Paro. However, the car key was left in the vehicle and he was nowhere to be found.

In an earlier interview with Kuensel, Kencho’s wife, who resides in Thimphu, said that Kencho came home from Paro, where he works, every alternative day but, on that occasion, he had come home after about two weeks. Kencho’s wife and children live in Thimphu.

According to unconfirmed reports, police have seized computers and other do*****ents when they raided Kencho’s place.

The RICBL managing director has refused to comment.