Milan Chakre: Living a Double Life of Devotion and Crime

He used to go around giving money to beggars, feeding fish, offering grains to pigeons, worshipping cows, and feeding them bananas. He regularly visited religious places like Buddhist stupas, Swayambhu, and Pashupatinath. He even went to bathe at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj and offer water at Devghat. Sometimes, he’d visit ashrams and take photos with saints.

He dressed like a holy man—wearing saffron clothes, long hair, a Rudraksha necklace, and a tika on his forehead. Looking at his appearance and actions in old age, most people would assume he was a religious man or a social worker.

Devotion or Deception?

Recently, the police raided a birthday party thrown for Chakre Milan and arrested 47 people with criminal backgrounds.

His public actions suggested he was deeply religious and committed to helping society. With such a public image, it would be hard to believe he could be involved in crime.

But that same man—Milan Gurung, known as Chakre Milan—is now in police custody, accused of being a gangster.

People close to Chakre say he's actually a social worker and politician, and that the police arrested him just to gain media attention. But the police tell a different story. According to them, despite Chakre appearing reformed, he still poses a threat to society.

Even though he always moves around with 10–12 young men and acts religious and charitable, police say his presence intimidates the public.

His TikTok account, which has nearly 90,000 followers, shows him attending many religious and social events, always surrounded by young followers.

So far, police have arrested 19 of his regular companions and are investigating them. SSP Basanta Adhikari from the Kathmandu District Police Office said they are being held for allegedly disturbing public peace and spreading fear.

“There are many forms of gangsterism,” Adhikari said. “It’s not just about violence. When someone uses fear to dominate or profit, that’s also gangster behavior.”

During the arrest, police found two khukuris and a metal folding stick inside a vehicle registered to 34-year-old Rahul Khadka from Changunarayan Municipality-12. They suspect these weapons were brought with specific intentions.

On the night of July 31, police raided Hotel Sambala in Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, where Chakre was celebrating his birthday. The attendees fled, leaving food and drinks behind, and were taken away in a police van. In total, 47 people were arrested.

The next day, after screening, only 19—including Chakre—were charged.

Politics and Crime

Milan Chakre: A Life Between Religion and Crime

Milan Gurung, known as Chakre, was once a notorious gangster. According to police records, he has been involved in more than a dozen criminal cases.

He was once close to the late CPN-UML leader Pradeep Nepal and reportedly part of his “kitchen cabinet.” Born in Gorkha, the son of a former Gorkha Army soldier, Milan moved to Chakrapath in Kathmandu and rose in the criminal underworld, becoming known as "Chakre."

He once had ties with the royal palace. After the 1990 political changes, he joined CPN-UML and began gathering local youth in Maharajgunj, gaining control over contracts—especially sand mining—and threatening those who didn’t pay him a cut.

A Long Criminal History

  • 1990: First arrested under public offense (disorderly conduct); released in a few days.

  • 1991: Arrested again on the same charge; again released.

  • 1995: Arrested for attempted murder after a complaint by Sanjog Gurung.

  • 2004: Survived a brutal attack at Chufang Restaurant, losing and later reattaching his hand. The attackers were allegedly led by his rival, Rajiv Gurung alias Deepak Manange.

  • 2006: Another attempted murder case filed by Raju Thapa.

  • 2007: Arrested again for attempted murder (Rupa Banta Dongol’s complaint); spent 1.5 years in jail, later joined UML’s Youth Force.

  • 2009: Charged again for attempted murder (Asha Shrestha). Later arrested in Butwal for drugs, although many believe the case was fake.

  • 2011: Two separate general offense cases filed against him in February.

  • 2014–2017: Served a 5-year sentence for the drug case. After release, remained politically active and even tattooed UML's election symbol (the sun) on his arm. He was recommended as a UML candidate from Gorkha province but didn’t get the ticket.

In 2014 and 2016, two other gangsters—Dinesh Adhikari “Chari” and Kumar Ghainte—were killed by police, and many gangsters fled the Kathmandu Valley or even left the country.

Chakre also seemed to quiet down during this time, presenting himself more as a politician and religious man.

But now, nearly a decade later, he’s back in police custody, accused of spreading fear and disrupting public order.

Let me know if you'd like a shorter version or a Nepali translation.

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