Kathmandu police arrested Deepak Khadka, a former energy minister and senior Nepali Congress leader, on Sunday morning in connection with a money laundering investigation.
A team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) carried out the arrest and Khadka is currently in CIB custody, local media reported. The arrest warrant stated he was taken into custody for inquiry into alleged money laundering offenses.
The arrest came a day after former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were detained over their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on anti-corruption protesters in September.
Home Affairs Minister Sudan Gurung said on Facebook that Khadka’s detention is linked to an inquiry into cash allegedly recovered from his residence during the protests. CIB spokesman Shiva Kumar Shrestha told the AFP news agency that Nepal’s Department of Money Laundering Investigation will oversee the probe.
The investigation traces back to a youth-led uprising that began in September 2025 after a brief social media ban and widened into mass demonstrations over corruption and economic hardship. The unrest left more than 70 people dead and about 2,300 injured. Protesters set fire to the parliament building and other government offices, ultimately toppling Oli’s administration. Khadka’s home was also torched during the unrest, and videos circulated showing demonstrators throwing cash found inside into the air.
An election held earlier this month, the first since the protests, brought sweeping change. The Rastriya Swatantra Party won by a large margin and its leader, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, was sworn in as prime minister on Friday. The new government on Saturday unveiled a 100-point reform agenda that includes creating a committee to examine the assets of politicians and senior state officials.