Former Home Affairs and Law Minister of Koshi Province Lilabalab Adhikari, who was arrested on charges of human trafficking, has been granted immunity from prosecution by the Kathmandu District Public Prosecutor's Office. On Monday, a case was filed against 11 people, including 3 youths, who were returned to Japan with the authorities. While the police gave a report on Sunday to prosecute the case against 12 people for labor and human trafficking.

Based on the decision of the public prosecutor's office, the officer was released from police custody on Monday. The then minister and three youths flew to Japan on October 13 as part of the gang's plan. But the document was returned by Japan Immigration after it was found to be suspicious. 

Three youths Kanchan Devkota of Rasuwa and Dawa Sherpa and Janak Rai of Khotang were returned along with the officer. The gang extorted money from the youth, who was sent to Japan with the help of the authorities, with a plan to hide them in Japan.

The official who was exempted from the public prosecutor's office is a leader of the Prime Minister's party UML and an MP from Koshi province. He is elected from Morang 2(2). After being caught in human trafficking, he was removed as a minister and UML suspended him from all party responsibilities. He was arrested on October 25 for investigation and his position as a state MP was also suspended. 

The four returned from Tokyo immigration arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport on 18th November. The officer escaped by telling the immigration staff at the airport, 'I am the minister'. Three other youths were arrested at the airport. Koshi Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki asked for the official's resignation saying that he had gone abroad without taking permission from the union and state governments. 

He was arrested on October 25 by the police from his residence at Bargachi in Morang and brought to Kathmandu for investigation. Based on the statements of the other arrested accused and the facts and evidence revealed by the investigation, the police gave an opinion to prosecute the case by making the officer as a defendant.

However, only three young Sherpas who returned from Japan, Mahesh Pandey of Dhading, Rai and Devkota, Bir Bahadur Sunuwar of Dolakha Jiri, Naveen Rai and Gudi Rai of Okhaldhunga Ratmate, Yograj Gautam aka Gopal of Morang Ithari, Diwakar Bhattarai and Bishnuprasad Bhattarai of Udaipur Triyuga have been prosecuted.

District Attorney Sitaram Aryal said that since no basis and facts were found to confirm the involvement of the officer, the case was filed only in the case of other than him. "A case will be filed if the facts and evidence have arrived, but it did not appear so in his case," Aryal said, "Jojas' involvement in the crime has been confirmed, a case has been filed against them." Among the defendants, Gautam of Morang Itahari and Bhattaraidway of Udaipur are currently absconding. A demand has been made against the defendant for the crime of labor and human trafficking and trafficking. However, contrary to the opinion of the police, the official who came under investigation after being arrested for this crime has been cleared by the public prosecutor's office. 

It has been revealed that Diwakar Bhattarai, one of the fugitives, went to America on a visit visa and after 7 years of hiding there, he got a permanent residence permit (green card) and came to Nepal only last year. Mahesh Pandey, one of the defendants, has given a statement that he arranged the program for Japan through Bhattarai and sent the three people along with himself. A police officer involved in the

investigation complained that the investigation report with opinions was submitted to the public prosecutor's office and the officer was given immunity when the indictment was filed.

The officials went to participate in the 'Culture and Home' program to be organized by the 'Arts Council Tokyo' from October 29 to November 3 with the gang's plan to leave Japan without the approval of the state and federal government. For that, Sherpa of Khotang Ainselukhark Rural Municipality was made a member of Ward No. 2 of the same municipality and Devkota and Rai were made employees of the Law Ministry of Koshi Province.  The investigation revealed that the gang collected 10.1 million rupees from Devkota of Rasuwa and Rai of Khotang Kepilasgarhi and 11 lakh 55 thousand rupees from Sherpa of Ainselukhark for sending

to Japan. It has also been revealed that the amount collected was shared by those involved in the arrangement of making fake identity cards and flying to Japan. Mahesh Pandey, one of the extortionists, and Gautam of Morang Itahari, a member of the gang network, took a group photo before flying to Japan. 

The public prosecutor's office has shown the officer nine grounds for not proceeding with the case. The fact that the officer himself reported the incident to the Nepal Police from Japan's Narita Airport is considered the first basis for not proceeding with the case. The fact that the Japanese government returned the other three defendants by one process and the officer by another is taken as the second basis for immunity. The government lawyer also claims that the youth who left after paying the amount was returned due to 'Exclusion Order' (exception order) but in the case of the officer, he himself was requested to return. Other defendants did not say anything about his involvement during the investigation, the officer denied the allegations, even in the CC footage of the Tribhuvan International Airport, where he was involved in the missile, he was seen riding alone, and the message sent by the arrested person was not seen, etc.

On October 12, the day before flying to Japan, Chief Minister Karki reminded the officer about the norms for foreign travel, but he ignored it. Public positions like ministers and people's representatives provided passports to gangs and arranged visas. The minister's travel abroad is facilitated and provided by the government, including visas, while the officer flew to Japan on the gang's plan. After returning from Japan, the officer claimed that he "does not know anyone involved in trafficking", but before flying to Japan, it has been confirmed that he took a group photo with Mahesh Pandey of the gang and another defendant, Gautam, before flying to Japan.

The official said that he found out that he was trapped by the gang only after arriving in Hong Kong and that he informed some police officers about the gang after arriving in Japan. However, a police official says that if he had known about the crime in Hong Kong, why did he not report the crime to Nepal from there, which also establishes the fact that his trip was planned. He did not resign as a minister after returning from Japan, he was only forced to resign after Chief Minister Karki pressured him to resign.

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