Former provincial minister Adhikari arrested on charges of human trafficking

Nepal Police on Sunday arrested former Koshi Province Home and Law Minister Lilaballabh Adhikari from Biratnagar. Adhikari, who is accused of human trafficking, was arrested after permission from the court.

According to sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Adhikari will soon be taken to Kathmandu by plane.

On Saturday his party is CPN-UML suspended The party’s Adhikari is in charge after allegations of involvement in a human trafficking case.

The controversy arose when Adhikari, along with three other individuals, were returned from Tokyo after being flagged by Japanese immigration for suspicious documentation. Adhikari, who allegedly bypassed required travel protocols, subsequently resigned from his ministerial post amid mounting ethical concerns.

Initial findings from Nepal Police show that those who allegedly forged passports and went to Japan with Adhikari had paid more than Rs1 million each to attend an event in Tokyo.

Adhikari left to Japan on October 29 without informing the relevant authorities about attending an event organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan.

The other three persons accompanying him were detained for investigation by the police, but Adhikari had avoided arrest by showing his ministerial ID.

Adhikari, a lawyer by profession, represents Morang Constituency 2(b) and has served several terms in the provincial assembly.

He organized a press meeting immediately after resigning as minister and claimed that he was not involved in any illegal activity.