Devkumar Nepali, the mayor of Dhorpatan Municipality in Baglung, Nepal, was arrested in New Delhi on Friday, after being on the run for over a year. Nepali, who had been a fugitive since May 2023, was detained at the Delhi airport following a ‘red notice’ issued by Nepal Police through Interpol. The authorities in New Delhi were alerted to his presence, and the Nepal Police attaché at the Embassy of Nepal took him into custody.
Acting Chief of Nepal Police, Tek Prasad Rai, confirmed the arrest, saying, “After being found at the airport, our Embassy’s attaché detained him there. Arrangements are now being made to bring him back to Nepal with the help of Interpol.”
Nepali, a founding member of Image Cooperative in Baglung and Pokhara, is accused of misappropriating over Rs 1.5 billion from the cooperative’s funds. As soon as the allegations were made, Nepali went into hiding, and the police began investigating the case. The fraud, allegedly involving Nepali and other board members of the cooperative, has led to a case being filed against him and 11 other individuals in the Baglung District Court.
This arrest marks a significant development in the cooperative fraud case, which has been under investigation for over a year. As of now, Nepali’s extradition process is underway, and further legal proceedings will follow once he is returned to Nepal.
