Two Accused in Cyber Fraud Case Resulting in Loss of NPR 2.5 Million

Kathmandu. Sujan Khanal of Kathmandu lost 25 lakh 44 thousand 100 rupees after clicking on a suspicious link received on his mobile. The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police has filed a charge sheet against two individuals in court on charges of involvement in the incident.

Based on the police investigation, the District Government Attorney's Office Kathmandu has filed a case against Akashkumar Paswan, 20, of Saptari and Chandeshwar Mahato, 23, of Siraha as defendants. They are currently absconding. A case has been filed against them under the offense of fraud as per the Muluki Criminal Code, 2074.

If convicted, they could face up to 7 years in prison and a fine of up to 70 thousand rupees. Additionally, a demand has been made for full compensation to the victim. The court has initiated the process of issuing a warrant to arrest both absconding defendants.

Amount Disappeared From Account Like This
On May 29, 2082, victim Khanal received a message (SMS) on his mobile from 'THE_ALERT'. It read: "Your Connect IPS account has been blocked for security reasons, click on this link (https://rb.gy/o4u15m) and fill in the details to activate it."

Believing the message to be official, Khanal clicked on the link and entered his banking details. Although he later canceled the process out of suspicion, by then the hackers had already gained unauthorized access to his 'Connect IPS'.

While Khanal was sleeping at night, the hackers transferred money from his two bank accounts. From Rastriya Banijya Bank and Nabil Bank, an initial test amount of 100 rupees was sent to Akashkumar Paswan's Nepal SBI Bank account, followed by 11 lakh 74 thousand 100 rupees in installments.

On the morning of May 31, the next day, 13 lakh 70 thousand rupees were transferred from Khanal's Rastriya Banijya Bank account to Chandeshwar Mahato's Laxmi Sunrise Bank account. The next morning, upon opening his mobile, Khanal discovered that a total of 25 lakh 44 thousand 100 rupees had been stolen from his account.