Kathmandu, July 21

Police arrested Maila Lama, Kathmandu bureau incharge of the banned Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, from a house at Kandaghari last midnight.

According to police, Lama came to Kathmandu from Kavre to attend the last rites of his close aide, Resham Tamang’s father. Tamang has also been taken into custody. Superintendent of Police Kadar Dhakal at Metropolitan Police Crime Division, said Lama was taking shelter in the house.

Four mobile phone sets and some documents were confiscated from the duo. Police said no arms and ammunition were found in their possession. Lama had a long history in the erstwhile Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre. He was the chairperson of the culture wing of the party. He had filed candidacy from Kathmandu-6 on behalf of the party in the first constituent assembly polls, but had lost in the election. Later, he had joined the Chand-led party.

Police had been searching for him as one of the perpetrators involved in the February 22 Nakkhu blast, in which one person was killed. Police are preparing to charge Lama with homicide and offence against the state. He has been handed over to Metropolitan Police Range, Lalitpur for further investigation.  Lama was in the ‘most wanted’ list of Nepal Police for his involvement in four criminal offences, according to SP Dhakal.

The government, on March 12, had banned the Chand-led CPN following a series of explosions that took place in Kathmandu valley and other public places across the country. Since then eight cadres of the Chand-led outfit have been killed. Three cadres were killed in police firing in Bhojpur and Sarlahi, while five were killed in separate

incidents after the bombs they

were planning to plant went off accidentally. One policeman was shot dead by the Chand-led CPN cadres and one other was killed in a blast by the outfit.