KATHMANDU, May 17: At a time when people who have held positions like Home Minister and Home Secretary who run the home ministry which is the second most important ministry after the Prime Minister’s Office are found involved in defrauding Nepalis by promising to send to them to America as fake Bhutanese, it is also found that former Member of Parliament (MP) Angtawa Sherpa opened an office to register the forms of Nepali citizens as Bhutanese refugees. The video of him running an office in a house in Lalitpur to register forms to send Nepali citizens to the United States as a fake Bhutanese refugee has been released.

The police had prepared to release Sherpa who reached the police office on Monday evening. But after police found three videos of him running an office to register Nepalis as fake Bhutanese refugees, police have started an investigation. "We have received a video from about a year ago in which Sherpa opened the office and registered some people as Bhutanese refugees. An investigation is underway," said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dan Bahadur Karki of District Police Range, Kathmandu.

According to sources, it is claimed that Sherpa's relative Dejon Sherpa also collected the money. He initially raised money at the rate of Rs 600,000, Rs 2 million and Rs 2.4 million. The police are also looking for a person who claims his caste to be Gautam and is associated with Sherpa. “The person is claiming his caste is Gautam, but there is a doubt that his name and surname is fake. We are investigating," said a police source. In the video that reached the police after Sherpa surrendered to the police, it can be clearly seen that the Bhutanese refugee form was being filled in the presence of Sherpa.

The home minister and the secretary of the home ministry were arrested after they were found to be involved in sending Nepali citizens as fake Bhutanese refugees to the US in a planned manner and after extorting money. Also, the police are arresting and investigating other individuals as well. At the same time, Sherpa met the accused and requested him not to mention the name of former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand. At the same time, the police issued an arrest warrant against Sherpa. After the arrest warrant was issued, Sherpa, who was absconding, appeared at the police premises on Monday evening. Initially, the police did not find any kind of evidence and prepared to release him on the same day. But when the victim sent the video to the police saying that Sherpa was involved, police started investigating. "He has been kept in the police office because we need help from the victim for some further information on this matter," said SSP Karki, head of the District Police Range.

After luring the Home Minister and the Home Secretary and taking over the home administration, the gang of con men collected money from Nepali citizens at the rate of Rs 5 million. They even used the ministry's vehicle. In such a situation, sources claim that Sherpa also raised money by talking to the then Home Minister Khand. "Due to the good relationship with the then Home Minister Khand, the members of the gang met Keshav Dulal and Sanu Bhandari and asked them not to mention Khand's name as the investigation is focused on Sherpa," said a police source.

As it has been revealed that the state machinery was hugely misused by extorting large sums of money from Nepali citizens with the promise of sending them to America in the guise of refugees, the police have to investigate new facts and evidence each new day. The then Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand was arrested after the then Secretary of the Ministry, Teknarayan Pandey, gave a statement that he had done all the work on the direction of the Minister. Not only that, the involvement of the then Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Ram Bahadur Thapa's security adviser Indrajit Rai, who instigated policy making and forced them to form a task force together with the leader of the broker gang, has been found.

The police have so far arrested 14 people in connection with the case. Since it will take a few more days to conclude the investigation, the Public Prosecutor's Office has been somewhat flexible in its instructions to bring the case files by Wednesday. "There is no situation where the case can be submitted on Wednesday itself, it may take a few more days," said the police officer involved in the investigation.

The last time the cabinet decided to implement the report, the gang members showed the report and demanded money. Even before that, they had collected between Rs 1 million to Rs 5 million, claiming to register those who had been missed out. They demanded that the money should be paid to leaders including the then Home Minister Khand.

Police sources claim that evidence has been found that Khand received money through money transfers from gang members. Call details, chats etc. with the members of the gang were also taken as proof. Apart from Khand, security adviser to the then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Indrajit Rai, Keshav Dulal, Sanu Bhandari, Sagar Thulung Rai, Tanka Gurung, Sandesh Sharma Pokharel, Teknarayan Pandey and Sandeep Rayamajhi are in police custody. So far 20 complaints have been filed against them. According to the police, 154 victims have been contacted by the police. According to the police, Pratik Thapa, son of former Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Niraj Rai, son of security adviser Indrajit Rai, are absconding. Police said police personnel are also searching for them.

 
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