Kathmandu : Out of the 18 individuals arrested in the fake refugee case, only two have been released on bail.

Hearing the case, a bench of District Court Kathmandu Judge Prem Prasad Neupane ordered to send everyone else to jail except Lakshmi Maharjan and Tanka Gurung.

The court ordered that 16 people including CPN (UML) leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, Nepali Congress leader and former Home Minister Balkrishna Khand be jailed in the case of fake Bhutanese refugees.

Similarly, the then Home Secretary Teknarayan Pandey, Bhutanese refugee leader Teknath Rijal, Indrajit Rai, the then Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal’s security advisor, Haj Committee Chairman Shamsher Miya, former Parliamentarian Angtawa Sherpa, then Home Minister Khand’s private secretary Narendra KC and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi’s son Sandeep Rayamajhi will also be jailed.

Similarly, Keshav Dulal, Sanu Bhandari, Sandesh Sharma, Sagar Rai, Govinda Chaudhary and Ram Sharan KC, who are known as middlemen, have also been sent to jail.

Hotelier Tanka Gurung, who was arrested in this case, will be released on a bail of Rs 1 million and Lakshmi Maharjan of Lalitpur on a bail of Rs 500,000.

Likewise, Keshav Dulal and Sanu Bhandari are mentioned as the main intermediaries in this case. Similarly, Haribhakta Maharjan and Lakshmi Maharjan of Lalitpur were also arrested in this case. When the husband Haribhakt was ordered to be sent to jail, the wife Lakshmi was asked for bail.

Prateek, son of former Home Minister Badal, and Niraj, son of security advisor Indrajit, are still absconding. An arrest warrant has also been issued against them.

Similarly, Keshav Tuladhar, Ashok Pokharel, Dhiren Rai, Mohan Rai, Deepa Humagain, Sunil Budhathoki, Binita Limbu, Niranjan Kumar Kharel, Rajesh Aryal and Ashish Budhathoki are also on the absconding list.

District Public Prosecutor’s Office Kathmandu had filed five different cases against the 30 accused, some of whom were arrested and some are absconding.

The case was heard in the bench of Judge Neupane of Kathmandu District Court. The defendants presented their arguments from last Wednesday to Thursday. The government attorneys finished their counterarguments on Friday.

On May 24, a 224-page long charge-sheet was registered at the District Court Kathmandu against the arrested on charges of fraud, embezzlement, treason and organized crime.

In this case, the District Police Range Kathmandu has sought a compensation of Rs 280 million from the accused.