The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) on Friday issued a diffusion notice against Gitendra Babu (GB) Rai, the founding chairman of Pokhara Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives. Rai, who has been accused of embezzling over Rs1 billion, has been on the run.

Kaski district police had asked the Nepal Police headquarters to take an initiative to issue the notice against Rai. Then the police headquarters wrote to the global law enforcement agency two weeks ago.

“The diffusion notice has been issued against Rai. With this, all the INTERPOL member countries have now included him in the list of those on the run,” said Superintendent of Police Mohan Thapa, also the spokesperson for Kaski district police office.

The district police office on December 21 had written to the head office requesting it to issue the notice also against Bhupendra Rai, former chair of the cooperative, and incumbent chair Than Bahadur Budhamagar. However, the police have yet to make a decision regarding them, according to a police official.

A complaint has been lodged at the Kaski district police office accusing 19 individuals, including GB Rai, of embezzling over Rs1 billion deposited by people at the cooperatives. The case is under investigation.

The police had also got an arrest warrant from Kaski District Court against them last year. Suspecting that they were hiding somewhere in Kathmandu Valley, the district police wrote to its head office seeking its support to arrest them. So far, the police have arrested Kumar Ramtel and two other individuals while 16 other accused persons are still at large.

Nepal is a member country of the INTERPOL and Nepal Police can issue diffusion notice through the international body to arrest criminals for investigation.

GB Rai also co-founded Galaxy Television with popular television journalist Rabi Lamichhane, who is now chairman of Rastriya Swatantra Party. Lamichhane later quit the television, subsequently formed the party and won election for a federal parliament seat from Chitwan.

The television channel shut down its operations recently.