Woman Posing as Central Investigation Bureau Officer Arrested for Fraud in Rautahat

Rautahat. Police have arrested a woman who was defrauding various individuals by claiming to be an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Nepal Police's Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

The arrested individual is 35-year-old Nirmala Mahato, originally from Barahathwa, Sarlahi, and currently residing in Kawilasi Municipality. She was running a fraud scheme using various aliases such as Neha, Nisha, and Punam Kumari.

According to the Area Police Office, Chandranigahpur, Nirmala began the fraud by luring victims with the promise of arranging a Scorpio vehicle at a low price, claiming she had good connections with customs officials. She committed fraud by misusing the citizenship certificate and photograph of Punam Kumari, the wife of Rajeswar Sah from Sarlahi, to obtain a National Identity Card in her own name. Based on this ID card, she opened a bank account at Machhapuchhre Bank and engaged in fraudulent activities by issuing checks with forged signatures.

It was revealed that Nirmala took gold and silver worth 274,000 rupees on credit from a jeweler in Chandrapur and failed to repay, borrowed 500,000 rupees from an individual citing domestic problems, and defrauded 126,000 rupees for grocery purchases and vehicle rentals. She used to present herself as a police officer using fake identification to gain trust.

Although the police arrested her in Chandrapur on Magh 4, she concealed her true identity for a long time. According to DSP Rupa Labung, her real identity was only revealed after investigating various documents and bank accounts.

She is currently under further investigation for the offenses of fraud, criminal breach of trust, and criminal gain.