Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has been arrested.
A source said that a team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office and the Maharajgunj Police Circle arrested Lamichhane from his residence at Hattigaunda in Kathmandu on Friday night.
Lamichhane was arrested after the Tulsipur High Court issued an order on Friday to send him to custody.
Although he has been arrested, he will not be taken to Rupandehi on Friday, the source said. He will be kept in custody at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, overnight and will be taken to Rupandehi only on Saturday.
"Rabi Lamichhane has been taken into custody. He will be kept in the custody of Kathmandu Police Range today, and preparations are being made to take him to Rupandehi tomorrow," the source said.
As the police arrived at his home, Rabi posted on Facebook that he was surrendering himself respecting the court’s order.
He wrote, "Respecting the order of the honorable court, I am surrendering myself today, right now. I believe other doors of justice will remain open for me. I will knock on every door in the world for justice. A great injustice has been done to me. Do not stop the Chitwan rally."
Earlier on Friday, a joint bench of Justices Ramesh Dhakal and Swikriti Parajuli at the Butwal Bench of the Tulsipur High Court issued an order to send Lamichhane to custody in connection with a fraud and organized crime case involving Supreme Savings and Credit Cooperative of Butwal.
Earlier, on January 26, the Rupandehi District Court had ordered Lamichhane’s release on a bail of Rs 10 million. On February 28, Lamichhane filed an appeal at the Tulsipur High Court, seeking revocation of the district court’s order.
A complaint had been lodged at the Office of the Province Cooperative Registration Officer, alleging that Butwal’s Supreme Cooperative had defrauded depositors of more than Rs 1 billion.
The complaint demanded action against the cooperative’s promoters and officials in accordance with the law. The office reported that it had received a complaint accusing the cooperative of defrauding one depositor of up to 35 million rupees. Complaints were filed at the Office of the Cooperative Registration Officer in Rapti Valley, Deukhuri, stating that more than Rs 1 billion of depositors’ savings were at risk and demanding the return of the funds.
