Kathmandu,February 8, 2008

Metropolitan Police today made public alleged kidney smuggler Dr Amit Kumar Ravat, who was arrested yesterday in Chitwan, in a press conference at Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office, Ranipokhari. Forty-year-old Amit was brought to the capital from Chitwan today.

Metropolitan Police today said that they had asked Chitwan police to arrest him, after getting strong intelligence report that Amit was staying in Wildlife Resort, Sauraha. SSP Upendra Kanta Aryal said that Amit Kumar, along with his associate Manish Singh, had checked into the resort posing as Suresh Regmi. Singh has absconded.

The police said that Amit Kumar, father of two boys, used to frequently visit Nepal. “On December 30, he landed in Kathmandu from Canada He went to India through the Sunauli border the very next day,” Aryal said, adding that Amit again came back to Nepal on January 26. “He stayed at Hotel Radisson in Lazimpat for few days and shifted to another hotel in Thamel. He was in and out of the Radisson Hotel,” Aryal added.

The police official said he had sneaked to Chitwan on February 5. The police said six Nepalis — Ramesh Thapa, Bishnu Khatri, Giri Dai, Hira Pun, Baburam and Sher Bahadur — are learnt to have worked in the Star Max Care Hospital, Gurgaon. The six have absconded, the police said.

According to the police, Pankaj Jha, who is evading arrest, was working as the Nepali agent for Amit to look for an appropriate place to build a hospital in Nepal.

Ramraja Singh could be UML’s prez candidate

Kathmandu, February 8, 2008

The CPN-UML is likely to field octogenarian Madhesi leader Ramraja Prasad Singh for the post of the first president of federal democratic republic of Nepal “A majority of UML leaders favoured the idea of fielding Singh for the post of head of state of federal democratic republic of Nepal in today’s discussion during the ongoing 17th central committee meeting of the UML,” a leader said.

On the fourth day of the meeting today, the party passed the political report presented by party general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and the election manifesto prepared by a panel led by Jhala Nath Khanal with suggestions, a press statement issued by standing committee member Amrit Kumar Bohara said.

Nepal’s report does not categorically speak of making an electoral alliance with the Maoists but has allowed the party’s local committees to make such kind of alliance with other forces favouring a federal democratic republic as per their convenience, sources said. “The report has focused on the April 10 constituent assembly election and stressed on the need for the UML to take a leading role for establishment of a federal democratic republic of Nepal,” party leader Shankar Pokharel told this daily.