The Koshi Provincial Assembly has published a notice about the arrest of CPN-UML lawmaker Lila Ballabh Adhikari.
Police arrested Adhikari from his residence in Biratnagar and took him to Kathmandu on Sunday.
Adhikari was arrested over his alleged involvement in human trafficking.
Gautam Raj Amatya, acting secretary of the provincial assembly, published the notice about Adhikari’s arrest as per the instructions of Koshi Speaker Ambar Bahadur Bista.
Adhikari is accused of trying to smuggle people into Japan illegally by abusing his office.
He had flown to Japan without seeking permission from the Koshi Cabinet and the federal government.
But the incident came to light after Japan’s immigration authorities deported Adhikari and three others -- 36-year-old Dawa Sherpa of Khotang, Janak Rai of Khotang, and 22-year-old Kanchan Devkota of Rasuwa -- who had traveled to Japan with him.
Adhikari resigned as minister on moral grounds after his deportation.
The three people deported by Japan are now in police custody. Police have also arrested Jugal Rijal, Bir Bahadur Sunuwar and Mahesh Pandey on the same charges based on their statements.
The arrested have told the police that they had paid Rs 1 and 1.3 million to go to Japan.
The police also recovered fake identity cards of the ministry from two of the deportees. The identity cards bear the signature of the then minister Adhikari as acting office chief.
