The vice chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre) and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Krishna Bahadur Mahara has been arrested in gold smuggling charge on Monday. Mahara was arrested from Kapilvastu district, when he was reportedly trying to flee to India.
Upon his arrest, he was produced before the Kathmandu District Court, which remanded him for four days of custody for investigation.
Earlier, on Friday, Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane submitted the probe commission’s report on gold smuggling cases to the Prime Minister Puspa Kamal Dahal. Upon PM Dahal’s green signal to take against civil and police personnel pointed out in the report, Home Minister Lamichhane immediately instructed the concerned agencies to implement report prepared by the commission.
Mahara is alleged for his role in multiple gold smuggling scams. He is reported to have multiple phone conversations with Chinese gold smugglers. Mahara’s son Rahul is in custody since August last year for his alleged role in various gold smuggling scams.
The inquiry commission to probe gold smuggling cases, headed by Dilli Raj Acharya, former Chief Judge of High Court pointed out that the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) had deliberately excused Mahara from investigation among other high-level officers.