Maoist lawmaker's vehicle returned

KATHMANDU, Jan 4: The government on Tuesday returned the Mitsubishi Pajero jeep, which the police seized last week claiming it was illegally imported, to Maoist lawmaker and former minister Khadaga Bahadur Bishwakarma.



The vehicle has been returned a couple of days after Kathmandu Police Chief Ramesh Kharel took home leave. [break]



According to sources, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) had ordered Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu (MPRK) to return to Bishwakarma the vehicle seemingly bearing the registration number Ba.001.Ah. 34 when the latter was about to hand it over to the Department of Revenue Investigation (DoRI).

 

The Department of Transport Management (DoTM) had confirmed through its letter to MPRK on Friday that the vehicle used by Bishwakarma was illegally imported. It said the registration number belonged to a TATA Safari jeep made in 2007 and not the luxurious Mitsubishi Pajero Jeep manufactured in 2008.

Following DoTM´s confirmation, SP Kharel had said he would proceed to arrest Bishwakarma and hand him over to the Department of Revenue Investigation for further investigation.



“We returned the vehicle acting on written orders from the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR),” said DSP Pradhumna Karki, MPRK´s acting chief.



Following seizure of the vehicle, Bishwakarma had claimed the vehicle´s legality making public a letter dated July 1, 2010 by MOPR that asked DoTM to amend the details of the vehicle.



Investigative officials, however, claim that the registration details of a vehicle can not be replaced by those of another. “That´s why the DoTM had refused to amend the details as requested by MoPR. The DoTM rightly confirmed the Mitsubishi Pajero jeep as illegally imported,” they added.



“The MoPR´s letter was contradictory in itself. It only requested the DoTM to amend the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicle owned by Bishwakarma but not to register another vehicle in his name,” said officials.



“The government could have decided to allow registration of another vehicle in Bishwakarma´s name. There has not been any such decision either,” said officials. “Now there are two vehicles owning a single registration number. Where is the TATA safari then?”



“If any of the two vehicles meets an accident or required for inquiry, which one should we take hold of?” they questioned.

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