Kathmandu, Sept. 13 -- Police on Thursday produced Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa's younger brother Naresh Thapa, along with eight others, before the Kathmandu District Court. They are facing charges of extortion.

The court on Thursday recorded statements from three of the charged.

As the court proceedings ended for the day, Thapa and the rest of the defendants were taken back to custody, said Dipak Regmi, spokesperson for the Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

The Central Investigation Bureau on Sunday had detained Naresh Thapa and his accomplices for their alleged involvement in threatening several contractors if they failed to hand over demanded payments.

Thapa was taken under custody for his alleged involvement in the ...