KATHMANDU, APRIL 17
A 22-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly hacking into more than 4,000 eSewa accounts and illegally transferring over Rs 10.2 million, police said on Wednesday.
Rahul Budha of Krishnapur Municipality-1, Kanchanpur, who had been residing in Kathmandu, was arrested by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on charges of cyber theft.
According to police, Budha sent phishing links with names such as 'The Alert' and 'AT Alert' via SMS to unsuspecting users. The messages falsely warned recipients that their eSewa accounts were about to be suspended and instructed them to verify their accounts by clicking the link. Once users entered their login credentials, Budha gained unauthorized access and stole their account balances.
Superintendent of Police Angur GC, spokesperson for the investigation office, said Budha transferred the stolen funds to the merchant accounts of Pashupati Global Innovation Pvt. Ltd.
Budha was arrested from the Kalimati area in Kathmandu. The case was made public on Wednesday, and legal proceedings have been initiated. Further investigation is underway.
