May 2: Indrajit Rai, a security adviser to the then home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, has been arrested for his supposed involvement with a gang of cheating people. He is accused of deceiving people for sending them to the United States as Bhutanese refugees.
Police had earlier arrested Keshav Dulal, Sanu Bhandari, Sagar Thulung Rai, Tanka Gurung and Sandesh Sharma Pokharel of the gang. Rai was arrested from his Saukhel-based residence on the basis of the statements of the arrestees.
Rai has been accused of planning out the implementation of the false activities of the group. According to the arrestees, Rai had taken more than Rs. 50 million from the group over the years in several instances.
Former Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi has also admitted that he helped the group when they faced difficulties at various ministerial levels and that he was close friend with Dulal and Bhandari. Dulal was the personal assistant to former Foreign Affairs Miniter Sujata Koirala while Bhandari was Rayamjhi’s assistant.
As per the preliminary investigation of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Division, Rai’s direct involvement in the criminal activities has been established. Former Minister Thapa’s sons Pratik and Indrajit have also been accused of helping them.
The victims had filed a case against the group at the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority at the end of 2021. However, the case was only registered at the Kathmandu Valley Crime Division in June 2022.
The group has supposedly cheated millions of rupees from over 1,000 people from different places in Nepal.
