Ex-Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand Detained in Kathmandu over Alleged Involvement in Bhutanese Refugee Fraud

Ex-Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand has been apprehended in Kathmandu due to his purported engagement in the counterfeit Bhutanese refugee fraud.

Khand, a close associate of the Nepali Congress president and five-term prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, held the second highest position in the Deuba cabinet prior to the general elections in November of the previous year.

The news of his arrest, which took place at his residence, was relayed by a leader of the Nepali Congress this morning.

In the wake of criticisms targeting the Nepal Police for their failure to detain the ex-minister and CPN-UML leader Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, another significant arrest has been disclosed.

So far, the police have apprehended roughly a dozen individuals related to the corruption case. This includes former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s advisor Indrajit Rai, Rayamajhi’s son Sandeep, and the former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey.

There have been media speculations about the potential involvement of former PM Deuba’s wife Arzu Rana and Khand’s wife Manju Khand in the scam. However, the police have stated that the investigation is still in progress.