Police in Kathmandu arrested Nepal’s former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader Deepak Khadka on Sunday morning.
Local news portal Ratopati reported the arrest warrant said Khadka was taken into custody for an investigation into “money laundering offenses.”
A team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Nepal Police carried out the arrest, and Khadka is currently in CIB custody, local media said.
Khadka’s arrest came a day after former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested over their alleged roles in the deadly crackdown on anti-corruption protesters in September.
What is known about the money laundering probe?
Home Affairs Minister Sudan Gurung said on Facebook that Khadka was detained in connection with 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 youth-led uprising that began in September 2025 started after a brief social media ban but grew into wider protests over corruption and economic hardship. More than 70 people died and about 2,300 were injured during the unrest.
Protesters set fire to the parliament building and government offices, eventually toppling Oli’s administration. Khadka’s residence was also torched, and videos circulated of demonstrators throwing cash found inside into the air.
New government vows reforms
An election held earlier this month was Nepal’s first since last September’s protests.
The Rastriya Swatantra Party won by a landslide, and its leader, rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, was sworn in as prime minister on Friday.
On Saturday, the new government unveiled a 100-point reform agenda that includes creating a committee to examine the assets of politicians and senior state officials.
Edited by: Natalie Muller