Exiled pro-democracy Bhutanese leader Tek Nath Rizal has been arrested in connection to the fake Bhutanese refugees scam.
Rizal has been arrested from Kathmandu on Thursday, according to Chief of Kathmandu Police Range SSP Dan Bahadur Karki.
The police have yet to reveal Rizal’s role in the scam and have just said that Rizal, who was staying in Jhapa, seems to have been involved in financial dealings with those in the racket.
“We had summoned him for questioning after discovering his financial dealings with members of the racket. We have arrested him after he turned up at the police office,” a police source said.
Rizal also worked as a human rights activist and was an elected public representative from southern Bhutan to the National Assembly from 1973 to 1984 and royal advisory councilor elected by the National Assembly of Bhutan on 30th November 1984.
President of Nepal Hajj Committee Shamsher Miya was also arrested earlier on Thursday from the Ministry of Energy inside Singha Durbar.
The police recently seized a government vehicle belonging to the Nepal Hajj Committee under the Home Ministry after investigations showed that the racket involved in the scam had repeatedly used the vehicle to transport people with the promise of sending them to America as well as the money collected from such people.
