Former Nepal crown prince arrested in Thailand, released

Paras Shah, Nepal's former crown prince known for his flamboyant lifestyle, was arrested by Thai police on July 10 with 12 gm of marijuana, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

Updated on: Jul 15, 2014, 23:26:45 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Former crown prince of Nepal Paras Shah was arrested by Thai authorities in Bangkok last week on charges of possessing marijuana.

News reports in Kathmandu quoting Nepali embassy sources in Bangkok said the 43-year-old was arrested from a hotel on Friday after he was found with two pouches of marijuana.

He was released from police custody on Monday.

Paras, son of Nepal’s last king Gyanendra Shah, has been living in Bangkok for many years now and had brushes with Thai authorities in the past too.

In 2012, he was arrested for breaking property at a luxury apartment which he rented in Bangkok. The incident came days after his release on bail for possessing marijuana in the Thai tourist town of Phuket.

Last year, he suffered a heart attack and was admitted for several weeks at a prominent hospital in Bangkok. He had suffered a mild heart attack in 2007 too when he was in Kathmandu.

Following abolition of monarchy in Nepal in 2008 Paras moved first to Singapore and later to Thailand. His wife, Himani, who belongs to a former princely state of India, stays in Nepal these days.

In 2010, Paras was detained by the police in Nepal after he fired in the air following a quarrel with relatives of Nepal’s deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala at a resort in Chitwan National Park.

In the past, the former prince was accused of hitting and killing a popular singer while driving drunk in Kathmandu. There was also another case of hitting a policeman with a rifle after he was stopped for drunken driving.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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