KATHMANDU, Oct 26: The government is working to create conditions to bring back Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, who is absconding in a cooperative fund embezzlement scam. The government is making efforts to seek cooperation from the Malaysian government, where Rai is believed to be currently residing. Although previous attempts to bring Rai back were unsuccessful, Nepal Police has now deployed Superintendent of Police (SP) Narahari Regmi to coordinate with Malaysian authorities.
Following the formation of the current government under KP Oli's leadership, the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the deployment of SP Regmi to Malaysia. A junior police officer accompanied him. During discussions with Malaysian police regarding Rai's situation, they raised concerns about past issues involving Malaysian nationals in Nepal and the Nepali government’s lack of cooperation.
According to a high-ranking source from Nepal Police, this issue is now easing. Malaysian officials informed SP Regmi’s team that ten years ago, 57-year-old Mala Vello, a Malaysian national who visited Nepal, was imprisoned. The Malaysian government had initiated her return through diplomatic channels, but the Nepali government ignored the matter, which Malaysia took seriously.
Sources report that Bishweshwor Mahara from Bara, who had gone to Malaysia for foreign employment, married Mala Vello there and later brought her to Nepal on a visit visa. Mahara abandoned her without registering their marriage, leaving her in a difficult situation. Malaysian police linked this case to human trafficking, stating, "When Malaysia attempted to bring back the trafficked woman, Nepal refused and offered no cooperation." However, sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs now confirm that this issue has been resolved.
Brother-in-law of Sherdhan Rai's assistant assaults a Nepali Jo...
After returning to Nepal, Mahara lived with Mala Vello in Kathmandu for two years. However, he left for Dubai without informing her, abandoning her. During this time, her visa expired. Although she tried to return to Malaysia, the Department of Immigration (DoI) demanded a fine of around Rs 2.7 million due to her expired visa. Unable to pay the fine, the DoI imprisoned her. Mala also sought assistance from the Malaysian Embassy in Nepal.
The Malaysian government sought help through Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, the Nepali government ignored this request, making it difficult to repatriate Mala. Now, the Nepali government is facing challenges in bringing GB Rai back to Nepal.
According to sources, Mala arrived in Nepal in 2012, and by March 2022, the government imposed a fine of Rs 2.638 million on her for overstaying her visa. This fine was not waived when the Malaysian government attempted to take her back.
It is noted that an extradition treaty or mutual legal assistance does not exist as a formal means to repatriate criminals between the two countries. However, SP Regmi's team uncovered the actual reason for the delay. After the team returned to Nepal, the DoI waived Mala's imprisonment and fines, allowing her to return to Malaysia. The government is also working to assess the situation of other women who have returned to Nepal from Malaysia and plans to send them back soon. "We sent her to Malaysia on August 21. We will send others after an investigation," said a source from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Despite communication between the interior ministers of both countries, Malaysia has consistently refused to extradite Rai to Nepal. High-ranking police officials report that Rai purchased an apartment in Malaysia in 2019, where he currently resides. It is believed he bought an apartment in Desa Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, for 2.6 million ringgit, valued at over Rs 70 million. Although reports suggest that Rai operates a shopping mall in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, this information remains unverified.
Rai is a key suspect in several cooperative fraud cases, including those involving Surya Darshan in Pokhara and Supreme in Butwal. Unconfirmed reports have surfaced linking emails to his name and claiming he operated Galaxy 4K television with the influence of Rabi Lamichhane. On August 9, 2023, the District Court of Kaski issued a warrant for Rai in connection with the Surya Darshan cooperative fraud allegations. However, Rai, 45, from Okhaldhunga, remains at large.
Since the warrant was issued, the government has encountered significant difficulties in apprehending Rai, who traveled to Malaysia via India. The Malaysian government has not shown any willingness to extradite Rai, as he has not committed any crimes in Malaysia. To capture him, the police have requested assistance from Interpol, which has issued a red notice against Rai. This red notice represents the final effort to apprehend a suspect in a foreign country and return them to their home nation. After the red notice, no further legal actions have been taken beyond confirming Rai's presence in Malaysia.
Rai's return may become easier following the arrest of Rabi Lamichhane, the chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who invested in Galaxy 4K television. Although Rai, believed to be hiding in Malaysia, has close ties with Lamichhane, authorities did not apprehend him while Lamichhane served as Home Minister. Before Lamichhane’s second term as Home Minister, Rai indirectly proposed to traders in Kathmandu to sell the television, expressing grievances about spending over a billion rupees and claiming Lamichhane invested millions just to run a television program.
On January 10, 2024, the then-Home Minister led a meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singha Durbar, attended by the Home Secretary, the Secretary of the Ministry of Land Management and Cooperatives, the AIG of the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB), the SSP, the Registrar of the Department of Cooperatives, and Under Secretaries from the Home Ministry and Finance Ministry. The meeting decided to address the cooperative crisis and to investigate all individuals involved in problematic cooperatives.
Following this decision, on January 18, 2024, the CIB requested copies of documents related to individuals involved in troubled cooperatives from all districts. Based on this request, victims of the Surya Darshan cooperative filed a supplementary complaint at Kaski Police on February 5, 2024, naming Lamichhane and others as defendants. Authorities initiated an investigation and arrested Lamichhane based on this complaint and the report from a high-level parliamentary committee formed to investigate the cooperative fraud.
