Ram Bahadur Bomjon, who has been accused of rapes and murder in his ashrams, is still in the Sindhuli ashram, the police have claimed amidst reports that he may be absconding.
"There are rumors that Bomjon has absconded but that is not true," SP with Sindhupalchowk Police Mukunda Marasini told Setopati. "He is still inside the Sindhuli ashram."
Marasini claimed that Bomjon is still under police vigilance. "He is still coming into contact with the police whenever we need. The ashram is bringing him into police contact," he added.
He revealed that the police are closely watching Bomjon's activities and are searching for nuns and disciples missing from his ashrams. "We have yet to find anybody out of them. Additional investigation will start once anybody is found," he clarified.
Responding to the question by CPN lawmaker Komal Oli in the National Assembly about progress in the case of Bomjon, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa on Wednesday said the government has not taken the case of rapes and murders in Bomjon's ashrams lightly
Police investigation against Bomjon has lost pace in lack of political support. Five missing complaints and a rape complaint have been lodged since Setopati published a news report titled '
Series of sexual exploitation and violence in Bomjon's ashrams' on December 26, 2018 documenting how four persons are missing from his ashram.
Nepal Police leadership met Home Minister Thapa and briefed him about the Bomjon case before initiating investigation. "The pace of investigation would have been different had Home Minister Thapa showed interest and involvement in the case then," a police officer involved in investigation confided with Setopati.
The pace of investigation in Bomjon's case by the Nepal Police, that has gone defensive after the rape and murder of Nirmala Panta, has been sluggish right from the beginning after not getting firm backing from the Home Ministry.
Police officers have confided with Setopati that they could not arrest Bomjon and move the investigation forward after the Home Ministry hinted that the case should not be moved forward unless there is solid evidence.
