Rajesh Jha Ahiraj, former province chief of Madhes, has been arrested.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police Bishwa Adhikari of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, police arrested Ahiraj on Sunday on the charge of raping a young woman in Baneshwar.
Ahiraj was presented before the Kathmandu District Court on Sunday itself, and his custody was extended. The court granted the police five days to investigate him.
A complaint against Ahiraj was registered at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, on January 16. However, despite registering the complaint, the police did not seek permission from the court to arrest him at the time.
According to court sources, the police obtained an arrest warrant for Ahiraj from the Kathmandu District Court only on April 7.
Ahiraj went into hiding after learning about the issuance of the arrest warrant.
According to sources, the incident occurred on May 17, 2024.
Ahiraj is accused of repeatedly raping the victim that day when no one else was present in his room. The victim has alleged that even after the incident, Ahiraj threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
Some time after the rape, the victim reached the District Police Range, Kathmandu.
However, the victim claims that although she tried to register the case, the police refused to accept it.
After repeated attempts to file the complaint were denied, the young woman approached the District Government Attorney's Office, Kathmandu.
She filed a complaint at the District Government Attorney's Office on November 13.
The District Government Attorney's Office wrote to the District Police Range on November 15 to register the complaint.
But it was only two months later, in January this year, that the police finally registered the complaint and moved the process forward.
Ahiraj served as the province chief of Madhes from February 19, 2021, to August 16, 2021.
