Court remands Bechan Jha to judicial custody for investigation

KATHMANDU, Aug 18: The Kathmandu District Court (KDC) has issued an order to remand Bechan Jha, who has been arrested on charge of being involved in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam, to judicial custody for investigation.

A single bench of Judge Tirtha Raj KC, following a detention debate held at the KDC on Sunday, refused to accept the bail plea from the accused Jha and ordered the authorities to send him to jail for further investigation.

Previously on Friday, senior advocates Krishna Prasad Sapkota and Mahadev Yadav, and advocates Purushottam Aryal and Mani Ram Upadhyay argued on behalf of Jha.

Jha was arrested from Kanchanpur on June 28. He is accused of acting as a mediator, facilitating meetings between brokers and high-ranking officials, including the Home Minister and Secretary.