Investigation Nears Completion in High-Profile Threat Case Against Anti-Corruption Chief

Ratopati April 19, 2026

Kathmandu. The investigation into Prakash Pathak, who threatened high-profile figures including the Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Prem Kumar Rai, has reached its final stage.

Police investigations have revealed that Pathak, who was arrested with the assistance of Interpol, received a 'contract' (supari) from the then Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority, Pradeep Adhikari, to threaten the CIAA Chief.

Adhikari utilized Pathak after the CIAA prepared to file a charge sheet regarding irregularities in the construction of the helipad at Nalinchok, Bhaktapur. Investigations show that after attempts to suppress the case failed, they resorted to threats in an effort to force CIAA Chief Prem Rai to resign. Director General Pradeep, who was arrested on Mangsir 17, has been in Dilli Bazar Prison for judicial custody since Mangsir 21.

It has also been discovered that Adhikari employed a tantric to evade corruption charges. An officer from the District Police Range, Kathmandu, involved in the investigation, told Ratopati that a 43-year-old tantric baba named Saraya Kinnera (Jai Jagdambe), a priest at the Kamakhya Devi Temple in Guwahati, Assam, India, was used. According to the officer, Nabinraj Basnet, a resident of Suryabinayak Municipality-2, Bhaktapur, sent a photo of CIAA Chief Rai to the tantric, claiming that Rai was harassing Adhikari, and requested him to perform 'chamta' (a tantric ritual intended to cause harm). Investigators have recovered a video in which Jai Jagdambe is seen creating an effigy of CIAA Chief Rai, performing rituals, piercing it with weapons, and burning it in a fire.

The investigating officer stated, 'Messages were found on WhatsApp where he requested the performance of the ritual, claiming that a wicked man was harassing brother Pradeep.' The officer noted that the baba also sent the video to Pradeep Adhikari.

Police have also recorded a statement from Nabinraj Basnet. Investigators say that in his statement, Basnet admitted to having the tantric baba perform rituals to ensure no harm came to Adhikari.

Jai Jagdambe, who was brought to Nepal to eliminate CIAA Chief Rai, was welcomed at the airport by Pradeep Adhikari and Nabinraj Basnet. Basnet is a construction entrepreneur. Three years ago, he undertook the contract for the taxiway and apron inside the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. The contract was awarded to the Ashish-Kshmadevi-Buddha Himali JV. Basnet was associated with Kshmadevi at that time.

The police are set to name Adhikari as a defendant alongside Pathak for the crime of threatening VIPs. SSP Ramesh Thapa of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, stated that the investigation into the case is in its final stages. He said, 'We will submit the investigation report with demands for punishment against the defendants under charges of criminal benefit, criminal conspiracy, and the Electronic Transactions Act.'

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