KATHMANDU: Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s recent claim that the government successfully traced the whereabouts of Gitendra Babu Rai (GB Rai), a fugitive involved in a cooperative fraud case, has created a buzz among the general public.

However, this statement isn’t new, as it was first revealed two months ago.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Basanta Bahadur Kuwar initially disclosed Rai’s location.

At that time, Narayan Kaji Shrestha of the CPN (Maoist Center) was the Home Minister.

The coalition government changed shortly after, and Rabi Lamichhane assumed the position of Home Minister.

IGP Kuwar confirmed that Rai’s location had been identified while Shrestha was the Home Minister.

Despite this, Lamichhane’s recent statement has raised questions about the government’s failure or unwillingness to repatriate Rai from Malaysia.

During a recent media interaction in Chitwan, Home Minister Lamichhane addressed the government’s failure to arrest and bring back Rai despite knowing his whereabouts:

Journalist: It has been a while since the government committed to arresting and repatriating GB Rai. When will we get answers?

Home Minister Lamichhane: We are very close after continuous investigation. I have spoken with my Malaysian counterpart twice recently. There have been some delays in diplomatic efforts, but we are close. I am confident you will witness the results soon.

Journalist: This isn’t the first time Nepal has repatriated fugitives from Malaysia. Why is it challenging to arrest and bring back Rai specifically?

Home Minister Lamichhane: While the country is the same, the subject, situation, and whereabouts of Rai are different. However, we have located him, and our efforts to repatriate him are underway.

Following Lamichhane’s statement, the main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), raised questions.

During an emergency session of the House of Representatives on Sunday, NC General Secretary Bishwo Prakash Sharma expressed objections to the delay in repatriating GB Rai, despite knowing his location in Malaysia.

Sharma accused the Home Minister of grandstanding on the issue and implied that Lamichhane, a former owner of Gorkha Media Network, might be helping his former co-owner, GB Rai, escape.

He also mentioned that victims of the Suryadarshan Cooperative were prevented by police from attending court hearings and expressed concern over the transfer of a police officer involved in the cooperative investigation in Kaski, allegedly under Lamichhane’s direction.