The Kathmandu District Court on Sunday extended the remand of 17 persons arrested in connection with the Lalita Niwas land grab case by five days.

According to SSP Dinesh Acharya of the Central Investigation Bureau of  Nepal Police, the court extended the remand for the fourth time today by five days.

"The investigation has been expedited so that it can be completed within 60 days," he said, adding, "Arrest warrants have been issued against some more people found involved in the case. Police are preparing to arrest them."

Seventeen individuals including Communications Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut, Bhatbhateni Supermarket Chairman Min Bahadur Gurung and former election commissioner Sudhir Kumar Shah are in police custody.

The Kathmandu District Court had extended the remand for the first and second time by seven days, five days for the third time and five days for the fourth time today to keep them in custody.

Police had started an investigation in this case in a new way by detaining seven persons at a time on June 27.

Min Bahadur Gurung, Sudhir Kumar Shah, Dharma Prasad Gautam, Gopal Karki, Shivaji Bhattarai, Ghaman Kumari Karki, Baburaja Maharjan, Ramesh Kumar Pokharel, Dev Narayan Maharjan, Lokhari Ghimire, Dhruba Prasad Aryal, Krishna Bahadur Raut, Yograj Paudel, Narayandas Mishra, Rudra Prasad Shrestha, Bal Krishna Shrestha and Binod Paudel are in the custody.

Kaladhar Deuja, Surendraman Kapali and Hupendramani KC, however, were released on the basis of the court's stay order.