KATHMANDU:- Police have arrested one of the defendants in connection with the fake Bhutanese refugee scam and presented him before the court.

The arrested individual has been identified as Rajan Kumar Kharel, 42, a resident of Phatuha Harsaha-9, Rautahat, in Madhesh Province, according to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police.

CIB spokesperson, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shiva Kumar Shrestha, stated that Kharel was involved in the scam — allegedly collecting and transferring money through cash and cheques, committing fraud, forging documents, and conspiring with accomplices to misappropriate money from victims.

Acting on a special tip-off, the police arrested Kharel and presented him before the Kathmandu District Court on Sunday for further investigation.

Kharel had been facing a charge sheet at the Kathmandu Police Range since the fiscal year 2079/80 BS for fraud, forgery, organized crime, and crimes against the State. He had been on the run since then.