Police on Tuesday took Rastriya Swatantra Party chairman and former home minister Rabi Lamichhane to Bhairahawa in Rupandehi district from Pokhara for investigation.

Although Lamichhane was initially scheduled to arrive by Buddha Air’s 7:45 am flight from Pokhara, poor weather delayed the departure until noon. The plane landed in Bhairahawa at 12:28 pm, after which Lamichhane was taken directly to the office of district attorney, according to Rupandehi district police.

The office of the district attorney started recording Lamichhane’s statement at 1pm. District attorney Premraj Paudel and his team interrogated the RSP chief about his alleged involvement in cooperative fraud, organised crime, and money laundering. According to sources, Lamichhane denied involvement in the cooperative scam, claiming that he was unaware of deposits made in his name.

Paudel said that the office of the district attorney would continue recording Lamichhane’s statement from 10am on Wednesday. According to him, around 20 questions were asked to Lamichhane on Tuesday, but his statement has yet to be transcribed.

Talking briefly to the reporters while emerging from the office of the district attorney, Lamichhane said that “caging a tiger doesn’t turn it into a jackal,” implying that he remains unshaken.

The former deputy prime minister is currently held in Kaski police custody on charges of cooperative fraud, organised crime, and money laundering. On Sunday, the Kaski District Court extended his detention by 13 days for further investigation.

Previously, the Rupandehi District Court issued arrest warrants for 12 individuals, including Lamichhane and GB Rai, on October 24. The two are accused of misappropriating Rs142.9 million from Supreme Cooperative and diverting it to Gorkha Media Network Pvt Ltd. Investigations indicate that Lamichhane had borrowed Rs19.6 million in personal loans from the cooperative.

Further probes revealed that Gorkha Media Network’s vice chairman, Chhabilal Joshi Banjade, took an additional Rs24.5 million loan, which was transferred to Gorkha Media’s Global IME Bank account. Records show Supreme Cooperative’s manager, Sagar KC, authorised a loan voucher for Lamichhane, with Roshani Gurung allegedly moving funds into Gorkha Media’s account. Roshani has since been released on bail, while the cooperative’s chairman Om Prakash Gurung remains in custody.

An investigation into Supreme Cooperative revealed Rs780 million of members’ deposits had been diverted to other organisations. Authorities believe over 32 individuals, including former chairman GB Rai, former secretary Dipesh Pun, and KC, were involved in the embezzlement, with 25 still at large.

In January, police issued a red notice for GB Rai, who is still at large. Rai and Lamichhane co-founded Gorkha Media Network, the company behind the now-defunct Galaxy 4K Television. Lamichhane served as managing director of the channel before joining politics in July 2022.

RSP activists stage demonstration

RSP activists and supporters staged demonstrations in Bhairahawa on Tuesday. They gathered at Buddhachowk to protest the arrest of their party chief, Lamichhane. The protesters demanded immediate release of Lamichhane.

The RSP activists and supporters earlier protested in front of Gautam Buddha International Airport. They had gathered at the airport area early in the morning.

Victims of cooperative fraud demonstrate in Bhairahawa

After RSP chair Lamichhane was brought to Bhairahawa for investigation, victims of cooperative fraud in Rupandehi took out a protest march.

The demonstration took place at Buddha Chowk and near the District Attorney’s Office in the district headquarters of Bhairahawa, with victims demanding the return of their deposited funds.

Gathering under the banner of the Supreme Cooperative Victims’ Group, protesters assembled near the entrance of the District Court in Burmeli Tole, chanting slogans such as “Give justice to cooperative victims,” “No more cooperative fraud,” and “Conduct an impartial investigation into cooperative fraud.”

Over 50 victims participated in the protest, which, according to Cooperative Victims Struggle Committee chair Bijay Nepal, extended from the court entrance to the District Attorney’s Office.