Police arrest former UML lawmaker Koiri in Thaman BK murder case

Police arrested former CPN-UML lawmaker Laxmi Mahato Koiri on Thursday, a day after the Janakpur High Court sentenced him to five years in prison for his role in the 2015 murder of Armed Police Force Assistant Sub Inspector Thaman BK.

Koiri was apprehended in front of the UML party office in Gaushala Municipality, Mahottari district. He is currently held at the Mahottari District Police Office and will be presented to the court on Friday. The arrest concludes a legal process that saw Koiri's earlier acquittal by the Mahottari District Court in December 2025 overturned.

The Janakpur High Court's decision on Wednesday convicted Koiri and former Madhesh Province Assembly member Abhiram Sharma, sentencing both to five years for BK's murder. The case dates back to September 11, 2015, during the Madhesh movement in Jaleshwar, Mahottari, when BK was killed. Prosecutors alleged Koiri dragged the officer from a police vehicle before he was murdered.

Koiri, who was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022, had been suspended from parliament after police sought his arrest. The high court's ruling also modified Sharma's sentence, reducing it from life imprisonment to five years.

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Findings from the route were alarming: more than 20 roadblocks had been mounted, yet only three, which were operated by the Nigeria Police and the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, were legitimate.