Nepal, Sept. 27 -- Early on Sunday morning, reports emerged that former chief justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana had been arrested by police.

A senior police official initially confirmed that Rana had been detained from his residence in Maharajgunj but declined to provide a reason. Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post also reported that Rana had been arrested.

But several hours later, police offered a different account, saying Rana had been taken to a safe place because of a security concern.

That leaves a crucial question unanswered: Was Rana arrested, or was he taken into protective custody because of a perceived security threat?

What we know

At around 3am on Sunday, police officers came to Rana's residence in Maharajgunj while he and his ...