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Parliament member Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said that he has no involvement in the case of fake Bhutanese refugees. Rayamajhi made it clear that he has no involvement in the case of fake Bhutanese refugees after police issued an arrest warrant against him. Talking briefly with journalists in Arghakhanchi on Wednesday, Rayamajhi said, “I have no involvement in this case.” The former energy minister, however, said that he has been taking initiatives to resolve the long-term problem of Bhutanese refugees. The Kathmandu District Court today issued an arrest warrant against former minister Rayamajhi. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Arghakhanchi in the November 20 elections. An arrest warrant was also issued against his son Sandeep. SSP Dan Bahadur Karki, Chief at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, said that arrest warrants were issued against Rayamajhi and his son in the case of fake Bhutanese refugees. Earlier this afternoon, police arrested Tek Narayan Pandey, Secretary at the Vice President’s Office, for his alleged involvement in the same case. On Tuesday, police had apprehended Indrajit Rai, security advisor of former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa. An arrest warrant has also been issued against his son Niraj. But he is on the run. Sita Ram Rijal, spokesperson at the District Police Range, Kathmandu, said that two complaints have been filed against Rayamajhi saying that he was involved in sending people to the United States making them refugees. Based on the complaints, seven people have been arrested so far. Rayamajhi’s aide Sanu Bhandari, Keshav Dulal, former personal secretary of Nepali Congress leader Sujata Koirala, Sagar Thulung, Tanaka Gurung and Sandesh Sharma Pokharel have already been arrested.  

Nepal reported 91 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday. According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 336 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 27 returned positive. Likewise, 2, 196 people underwent antigen tests, of which 64 tested positive. The Ministry said that no one died of the virus in the last 24 hours and 59 infected people recovered from the disease. As of today, there are 220 active cases in the country.    

Three persons died and five others were injured when a truck hit a house in Bandipur. Police identified the deceased as Ayush Bhujel (12), Chet Bahadur Gharti (50) and San Bahadur Bhujel (69) of Bandupur Rural Municipality-1. DSP Mohan Bahadur Khand said that all of them died in the course of treatment at the Purano Medical College in Bharatpur. Police said that the incident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle (Na 4 Kha 1973) and hit the houses belonging to Sanumaya Bhujel and San Bahadur Bhujel near Aadhikhola in Bandipur Rural Municipality-5 of Tanahun along the Prithvi Highway. The injured have been identified as Ayusha Bhujel (6), Jasmin Bhujel (10), Ishwor Bhujel (10), Samir Bhujel (8) and Santosh Bhujel (5). Following the incident, locals obstructed the highway for four hours.    

The bodies of two women and a man among the five people who went missing in an avalanche at Byas Rural Municipality-1 of Darchula district have been found today. They had gone to the foothills of the Himalayas to collect yarsagumba (Cordecyps sinensis), the valuable alpine herb. The Armed Police Force (APF) had rescued seven persons on Tuesday and five had been missing. Chief of APF No 50 Company based in Chhangru of Darchula, Deputy Superintendent Ishwori Datta Bhatta said that three bodies were found this afternoon. "Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force personnel and locals have reached the site after the bodies were found. Although the bodies have been found, their identity is yet to be ascertained," Bhatta said. Although the APF team was mobilized for search and rescue operations since Tuesday afternoon, the task was hampered by continuous rain and snowfall. "We were involved in searching for the missing people until 9.30 pm yesterday. A team has been deputed since the morning today as well," he said. According to him, the people who had gone to collect yarsagumba were camping in tents.”