'Murder-accused PLA commander was set free after being arrested'

A Maoist PLA commander who was on the most-wanted list of the police for the murder of a Kathmandu-based businessman was caught and then subsequently released at the behest of the Home Minister, a weekly newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to Janaastha, a weekly tabloid published from Kathmandu, PLA Third division commander Kali Bahadur Kham Magar a.k.a Bibidh, the main-accused in the murder of businessman Ram Hari Shrestha of Koteshwor, was arrested over a month ago along with three of his aides at around 9:30 pm from a police check-point in Bouddha area in Kathmandu.

Police also confiscated weapons from the PLA commander who has been absconding since he was charged of the murder, the Weekly said.

It further said that Bibidh had at first resisted arrest saying that he was a central member of the Maoist party.

Indeed, the last convention of the Unified CPN (Maoist) promoted Bibidh to the powerful Central Secretariat level, though he was charged of murdering Shrestha.

Despite facing intense pressure to take action against Bibidh, the Maoist party had been saying they don't know about his whereabouts, this even as reports claimed that Bibidh was holed up inside the PLA Third Division cantonment where he allegedly kept Shrestha for many days before murdering him.

After arresting Bibidh, Bouddha police immediately informed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ramesh Chand about it. The police chief then notified Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam about Bibidh being in police custody, the weekly said.

Home Minister Gautam then reportedly ordered that Bibidh and his armed aides be handed over to PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Baluwatar.

The police did as they were ordered and took Bibidh and his aides to the PM's official residence where they reportedly handed him over to PM Dahal.

The revelation, if true, would be interesting given that Home Minister Gautam had promised the victim's family that he would bring Bibidh to book. nepalnews.com May 13 09

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