A connection has emerged between Prakash Pathak, who allegedly threatened to kill 10 high-ranking officials including Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) chief Prem Kumar Rai, and former director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Pradeep Adhikari.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police Ramesh Thapa of the District Police Range, Range, Pathak’s statement revealed links to Adhikari. Pathak is currently in custody at the District Police Range.
SSP Thapa said that Pathak is being investigated under organized crime charges.
“Pathak appears to have threatened high-level officials in an organized manner. Investigations are ongoing,” said SSP Thapa. “In his statement, he has claimed that he threatened 10 individuals, including CIAA chief Prem Kumar Rai, and that he received a contract of 20 million rupees from Pradeep Adhikari to carry it out.”
Police are currently gathering evidence to verify Pathak’s claims, SSP Thapa said.
Adhikari, who is in judicial custody in connection with the Nalinchowk helipad construction case, was brought in to the District Police Range for questioning regarding this matter. However, no arrest warrant has been sought for him in this case.
Adhikari has denied knowing Pathak or giving any contract for such actions. SSP Thapa said that his statement is yet to be verified.
Police suspect Adhikari may have used Pathak after anticipating a corruption case against him.
In December, Pathak had sent death threats via email under the name “Extremist Group of Nepal” to 10 individuals, including Rai. Among those threatened were then-foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, then-home minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Bal Krishna Khand.
In the email sent to Rai, Pathak had threatened to kill Rai if he did not resign within 10 days. He had also warned of attacks using prisoners who had escaped custody on September 9.
Pathak had claimed at the time that he was in India, but police later located him in the Philippines.
On December 31, he was arrested in Malolos City in a joint operation with the local immigration bureau. He was brought to Kathmandu on February 11.
During the ongoing organized crime investigation against Pathak, Adhikari has also come under scrutiny.
Police records show that Pathak had four previous cases filed against him and is accused of defrauding six individuals of 6.5 million rupees.
