Kathmandu, August 15

Police today arrested three persons, including Rabi Lamichhane, for allegedly abetting suicide of a TV show host, Shalik Ram Pudasaini.

Chitwan District Police in coordination with Teku-based Metropolitan Police Range held Lamichhane, Yubaraj Kandel and Asmita Karki (Ruku) from different places of Kathmandu.

Spokesperson for MPR Deputy Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati said Lamichanne, who is also a television show host, was arrested from Panipokhari-based office of News24 Television this evening. Following their arrests, the trio were taken to Chitwan for further investigation into the death of Pudasaini, who was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside a hotel room in Chitwan under mysterious circumstances, at around 10:00pm on August 5.

A video footage purportedly recorded by Pudasaini on his mobile phone made public by online news portals accuses Rabi Lamichanne, his colleagues Kandel and Karki for his death.

Visibly distraught Pudasaini, on the video footage of around 12 minutes, has categorically taken their names. Police officials, who reached the hotel room on the same night, had recovered the mobile phone for investigation and had sent it to the digital forensic lab at Crime Investigation Department of Nepal Police. Superintendent of Police Rabin Basnet at the CID confirmed they had received the mobile phone set.

Pudasaini used to work for News24 Television channel with Lamichhane and Kandel before joining Mountain Television some two months back. Pudasaini was associated with the Mountain Television until his death.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists has called on the concerned authorities for fair investigation into the death of Pudasaini.