KATHMANDU: The government's recent claim, made by Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, that it has successfully tracked down Gitendra Babu Rai (GB Rai), a wanted person in a cooperative fraud case, has piqued public curiosity. But, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Basanta Bahadur Kuwar's initial disclosure of this information came two months ago, therefore it is not new. The coalition government changed at that point, and Lamichhane replaced Narayan Kaji Shrestha of the CPN (Maoist Center) as Home Minister.

IGP Kuwar confirmed that Rai's location had been identified during Shrestha’s tenure as Home Minister. Despite this, Lamichhane’s recent statement has raised concerns about the government's inability or reluctance to extradite Rai from Malaysia. During a recent media interaction in Chitwan, Lamichhane addressed the government’s failure to arrest and bring back Rai despite knowing his whereabouts. He mentioned ongoing diplomatic efforts and assured that results would be seen soon, attributing delays to diplomatic challenges.

The main opposition party, Nepali Congress (NC), has raised questions following Lamichhane’s statement. During an emergency session of the House of Representatives, NC General Secretary Bishwo Prakash Sharma objected to the delay in repatriating Rai, despite knowing his location. Sharma accused Lamichhane of grandstanding and implied that the Home Minister might be assisting Rai, his former co-owner at Gorkha Media Network, in evading arrest.

Additionally, Sharma highlighted that victims of the Suryadarshan Cooperative were prevented by police from attending court hearings. He also expressed concern over the transfer of a police officer involved in the cooperative investigation in Kaski, suggesting that this was done under Lamichhane’s direction, further questioning the Home Minister’s motives and actions in the case.