Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane has been brought to Bhairahawa following his arrest. Lamichhane was arrested in Kathmandu on Friday night and brought to Bhairahawa on a Yeti Airlines flight on Saturday morning.

He has now been taken to the Rupandehi District Police Office in Bhairahawa. According to Superintendent of Police Ranjit Singh Rathore, chief of Rupandehi police, since Saturday and Sunday are public holidays and the court will not be in session, Lamichhane will remain in custody at the District Police Office for two days.

“The remaining process will begin only on Monday,” he said. Lamichhane will be presented in court after the court opens on Monday. He will be sent to prison after the court grants permission, SP Rathore said.

RSP has decided to appeal at the next level for justice. 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, demanding that the court revoke the district court’s order and release him on general date. But the high court issued an order to send Lamichhane to custody.

Shortly after, Lamichhane was arrested from his residence at Hattigaunda in Kathmandu by a team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office and the Maharajgunj Police Circle on Friday night.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.