Kathmandu, April 11

Police have arrested a man for allegedly cheating women of cash with the promise of marrying them or taking them to the United States of America, posing as a section officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Keshav Raj Bhatta, 26, of KI Singh Rural Municipality, Doti district, was arrested from his rented room in Kirtipur yesterday, acting on a complaint lodged by a victim. He had allegedly defrauded her of Rs 400,000.

An MTPD official said Bhatta had been cheating women by sending friend requests on Facebook using a phone account and photos of high-profile persons on it.  He would pose as a government official having a good rapport with high-profile persons before defrauding them. He would then threaten the victims if they raised their voice against his wrongdoing.

During investigation, police found that he was a married man with a six-year-old daughter. SSP Kedar Dhakal said Bhatta was charged under the Electronic Transaction Act. Under the act, any person involved in cyber crime is liable to Rs 100,000 fine or five years in jail, or both.

As many as 1,197 cases of cyber crime were reported to the MPCD in the fiscal year 2016-17 compared to 1,482 in the fiscal year 2017-18.