• FAKE BHUTANESE REFUGEE SCAM
KATHMANDU, MAY 18
Tek Nath Rijal, a human right activist and a renowned democratic leader of Bhutanese refugees, and Chairperson of the Nepal Haj Committee Shamsher Miya were arrested today from Kathmandu in connection with the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dan Bahadur Malla, Chief of Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, said the names of both the accused had come forward in the past, but the arrest was made today after police became confident about their involvement in the scam. Miya was arrested from the Singha Durbar complex, while Rijal was arrested from Chabahil in his rented house. "Both of them were arrested after we found ample evidences that showed their involvement in the scam," SSP Malla told THT. Later, Kathmandu District Court gave permission to remand them for two days judicial custody as per police.
Rijal is a celebrated leader among Bhutanese refugees who used to lobby for re-establishment of refugees to their country of origin, Bhutan. Later, he had supported the government and the UNHCR in the resettlement of 113,500 Bhutanese refugees to eight third countries between 2007 to 2016. Rijal, also a Bhutanese refugee himself, is currently eking out a living through reimbursement from Nepal government. He had lobbied the government to rework on the UNHCR's process of resettling the remaining 6,500 Bhutanese refugees to developed countries like the US and Canada.
After the scam did not materialise, people had gone to police upon knowing that they were duped.
Based on similar request from Rijal, the government led by former prime minister KP Sharma Oli had formed a committee to take details of those who were missed in repatriation in the first lot.
Rijal has been booked on the basis of a statement given by Sanu Bhandari, Tek Gurung and Keshav Dulal - the three prime suspects and middle men of the scam who were arrested on March 26.
Similarly, Miya was arrested after police took control of a jeep bearing number plate BAB-1405 used by the rackeeters to meet Nepali people and collect money during the scam operation. The same jeep was operated with different number plates. As police probed the scam, they found the jeep had been provided to Miya by the Home Ministry. The Haj committee office operates directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Miya's office is also inside the Singha Durbar complex.
With this, the total number of arrestees in the scam has reached 16, including former home minister Bal Krishna Khand, former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, among others.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 19, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
