Fact Check: Rabi Lamichhane Said He Was ‘Trafficked’ To The US? No, Viral Claim Is False

Claim
Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane told Sagarmatha TV that he was trafficked to the US.
Fact
No, the old interview of Rabi Lamichhane misconstrued as him saying that he was trafficked to the US.

A video showing an interview of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane in which he allegedly said that he was trafficked to the US when he had gone on a visit visa is going viral on TikTok. 

TikTok user @sibustha5 posted a 1:19-second interview clip of RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane. Text superimposed on the video reads, “I went to the US on a visit visa but I was trafficked to America: Rabi Lamichhane.” In the interview Lamichhane says, “I went to the USA on a visit visa and the then immigration rule of the US didn’t allow visitors to convert the visa into a student visa. Then I was advised that it would be easy for me to apply for a permanent residency. Prem Raja Mahat gave me the advice. He is a very helpful person and we had known each other since I was in Nepal. I made the attempt following his advice but the process got protracted for far too long. My life also took different turns despite my reluctance. That’s how I disappeared in the US.”  Then the interviewer asks another question, “We have been hearing that you have a good job and you are able to maintain your lifestyle even in the US. How do you see the situation of Nepali artists who have been living in the US?”  

The video posted on June 30 has garnered 1230 likes, 160 users have shared it and 91 people have commented until the last count.

The archived version of the TikTok video can be seen here.

Newschecker found the claim to be misleading.

Fact Check /Verification

To check the veracity of the claim, Newschecker closely observed the video and clearly noticed the logo of Sagarmath Television on the top right corner of the screen. Taking a cue from it, we extensively searched for the original video on the YouTube channel of Sagarmath Television but we could not find it on the channel.

We then took a key frame from the viral video and ran a reverse search on it. A reverse search on it led us to a video, dated Jan 15, 2013, posted on the YouTube channel named Popular Shows. On checking the video, we found that the video from 4:36-minute onwards exactly matched the viral video. We listened to the entire conversation in which Rabi Lamichhane explained how he went to the US on a visit visa in 2002 and ended up migrating there. However, Lamichhane didn’t say that he was trafficked to the US.  

Further, we looked up for news reports about Rabi Lamichhane saying that he was trafficked to the US. But we didn’t find any credible reports.

Thus, our findings clearly showed that the viral video is an old interview of Rabi Lamichhane talking about his migration to the USA.

Conclusion

No, RSP Rabi Lamichhane did not say that he was trafficked to the US. An old interview of Lamichhane is being shared with a false text superimposed on it.

Result: False

Sources
Popular Shows/YouTube, Jan 16, 2013

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