KATHMANDU, Dec 1: Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Teku on Thursday arrested an absconding fraudster while swindling foreign job aspirants.
Tipped off by some victims, a police squad arrested thirty-eight-year-old Ishwari Prasad Pokharel, originally fromTorwang-6 of Pyuthan district and a temporary resident of Bardhaghat Municipality-6 of Nawalparasi district. Of late, he was found living in Lucknow, India as a motor parts supplier.
Preliminary investigation of the police has revealed that Pokharel had collected Rs 10.5 million from 23 foreign-job seekers including Sandeep Darnal, Bhim Bahadur Darji, Shanti Rai among others. He had collected the amount in the pretext to send them to Israel for lucrative jobs there.
Similarly, he was also found to have received Rs 300,000 from Sudip Raj Panta in order to send him to South Korea and Rs 250,000 as a payment for offering him job in the National Intelligence Department.
During investigation, it was also found that Pokharel was convicted of two years of imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 229,000 for duping NABIL Bank and Kist Bank about five years ago and had remained absconding since then. In a separate case last year, he was sought by the District Court, Banke to probe a fraud case. He has also acquired a driving license from India, which states that he is from Gorakhpur while he has been using ATM card under the name of Laxman Rijal.
Police also found out that Pokharel had duped several other financial institutions by registering fake agricultural firms and small industries and was in due process to fly to the USA.
Looking at his past records, police suspect he might possibly dupe other innocent people and said that they are intensifying investigation against him.