KATHMANDU, Dec 20: The government has initiated efforts to bring Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai back to Nepal in connection with a cooperative fraud case. It is using various channels to bring GB Rai from Malaysia to Nepal. After the police submitted the investigation report against Rabi Lamichhane to the District Government Attorney Office (DGAO) in Kaski, they shifted their focus to bringing GB Rai back to Nepal. Following a report that discussions at the prime ministerial level could make this possible, the government has started diplomatic efforts accordingly.
Home ministry spokesperson, Secretary Rishi Tiwari, confirmed that the government is actively working to bring the fugitive back. "The effort to bring the fugitive back to Nepal is always ongoing. The police are doing their part," Tiwari said. While the home ministry is pursuing diplomatic efforts to bring Rai back to Nepal, reports also indicate that the Nepal Police is taking internal steps.
The police are coordinating with the government agencies and security personnel of Malaysia, where GB Rai is reportedly located. In response to requests from the police in Kaski and Rupandehi, the Interpol branch of the Nepal Police issued a diffusion notice on January 27 and a red notice on March 4, which has facilitated the search and coordination efforts in the case.
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Following the issuance of an arrest warrant for investigating the cooperative fraud and organized crime cases, authorities have initiated diplomatic efforts to bring Rai, the chairman of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara, back to Nepal. The home ministry has stated that it has intensified the search for Rai. Additionally, the Nepal Police headquarters has deployed officers to assist with coordination.
"The police searched for GB Rai yesterday and are continuing their efforts today. Nepal Police is making all efforts to arrest him. Our mechanisms are in operation," said SSP Bishwa Adhikari, the central spokesperson for Nepal Police. At the request of the home ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also begun efforts to bring Rai back to Nepal. Both the home ministry and the police headquarters have kept the latest efforts to locate GB Rai confidential, and officials from both agencies have declined to comment publicly on the matter.
Nepal Police briefed the home ministry that bringing the fugitive involved in the cooperative fraud back to Nepal would have been impossible without Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's diplomatic initiative. High-ranking police officials, including Inspector General of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar, reported that efforts to bring GB Rai, who is in Malaysia, had been made at levels below the Prime Minister. Only now, with the Prime Minister’s involvement, can such an effort succeed. The Prime Minister has directed the government to take all necessary initiatives seriously. The home ministry claims that positive efforts are currently underway to bring him back. "It will take some time, but the efforts are positive," said a senior official from the home ministry.
After communication from the police in Kaski and Rupandehi, the Interpol branch of Nepal Police issued a diffusion notice as well as a red notice against GB Rai, but he has not been brought back to Nepal. The home ministry sent a diplomatic note through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Malaysia to bring GB Rai to Nepal. However, the ministry has not received a response to the diplomatic note sent in March.
Furthermore, the Nepal Police headquarters sent two officers under the command of an SP to Malaysia. While they were able to locate the apartment where Rai was staying, they were forced to return empty-handed after failing to find a way to bring him back. Officials from the police and home ministry stated that it was not possible to bring Rai to Nepal due to the absence of an "extradition treaty" between Nepal and Malaysia, as Rai has purchased an apartment in the Desa Pandan area of Kuala Lumpur.
Under the "Make Malaysia My Second Home" concept, GB Rai purchased an apartment in Malaysia for more than 70 million Nepali rupees. This concept requires the individual to pay a specified amount to the Malaysian government, which then prevents the government from returning the individual to their home country. As a result, the police team that had gone to Malaysia to bring Rai back returned empty-handed, in addition to not receiving a response to the diplomatic note.
Kaski Police arrested Rabi Lamichhane, the then managing director of Gorkha Media, and director Chhabilal Joshi in connection with the embezzlement of funds from Suryadarshan Cooperative, led by GB Rai, and their investment in Gorkha Media. After completing the investigation, the police submitted their report to the DGAO Kaski. The parliamentary inquiry committee's report states that Rs 655.4 million was embezzled from five cooperatives and invested in Gorkha Media. An investigation is currently underway into the case.
