The 49-year-old had allegedly forged a visa-note in the name of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala and used it to rip off Rs 2.4 million from six individuals.[break]
Angad Raj is the son of lawmaker Sundevi Joshi, who was elected to the Constituent Assembly from Chitwan district through the proportionate election system. His son Anup, 24, is also indicted in the same case.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had written to Nepal Police on July 19, 2010 to investigate the case following complaints from the six victims. MOFA mentioned in its letter that the visa-note purportedly produced by Joshi was fake. The fabricated visa-note, dated May 24, 2010, comes with a text requesting the US embassy in Kathmandu to issue a visa for DPM Koirala, saying she was scheduled to take part along with seven Nepali Congress delegates in a conference in Texas on June 18-20, 2010.
According to complaints lodged with MOFA by the victims, the Joshi duo had promised them US visas within 15 days in return for Rs 1.5 million each. Accordingly, Sange Sherpa and Thalabir Oli had given them Rs 550,000 and 600,000 respectively on May 26. Similarly, Bhupendra Dhital, Suman, Santosh Kumar Karki and Santosh Basnet had submitted them Rs 1.25 million collectively on May 27.
“When we followed them, they tried to avoid us. We suspected something was wrong and went to the residence of DPM Koirala, only to find out that the Joshis had cheated us with a forged visa-note,” the victims stated in their complaint to MOFA. “We had simply believed them, thinking that the son of a lawmaker could handle it.”
“They even threatened us, boasting of their political links, when we demanded our money back,” the complaint reads.
According to investigative officials, the Joshi duo had forged the visa-note, copying the text of a visa-note sent by MOFA to the Japanese embassy for another Nepali Congress lawmaker. “Further linkages in the case will unravel only after we nab the accused duo,” officials said.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lalmani Acharya, chief of Crime Investigation and Litigation Section at Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK), said arrest warrants were issued against the Joshis after filing suit against them at Kathmandu District Court.
“We are hunting for them at full strength,” he added.
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