Maoist Center Vice-Chair Mahara taken to CIB

Former Speaker and CPN (Maoist Center) Vice-Chairman Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who was arrested in connection to a gold smuggling case, has been taken to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police.

He was brought to Kathmandu after being taken under control from Bhairahawa on Monday.

Police apprehended Mahara while was heading towards Rolpa via Rupandehi.

He was taken to the CIB directly from the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Police are preparing to ask the Kathmandu District Court to extend the remand of Mahara to carry out further investigation.

Earlier, police had released Maoist Center Vice-Chair Mahara after recording this statement in the gold smuggling case.

Police took him under control after a high-level commission formed under the headship of former high court chief judge Dilli Raj Acharya to probe the gold smuggling recommended action against Mahara.

The commission had recommended action against 21 individuals including nine Chinese nationals.

The commission had also recommended action against 12 persons including former Speaker of the House of Representatives Mahara.

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane submitted the report, presented by the commission on Thursday, to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Friday.

Later, a meeting of the Council of Ministers decided to implement the report of the commission.

Acting on the same, Home Minister Lamichhane directed the concerned security agencies to arrest the people involved in the gold smuggling.