Dinesh Khadka - a Kailali native previously arrested in Nepal in 2023 for his alleged involvement in an online sports betting scheme through 1XBET and a cryptocurrency trading racket - was apprehended at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, India, early yesterday morning.
According to Times of India, Khadka was intercepted by the Indian immigration officials while he was attempting to board Air India Express flight IX-226 to Sharjah, UAE. He was allegedly travelling under a fraudulently obtained Indian passport using the assumed identity of Dilip Kumar, son of Naresh Kumar, from Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh.
Authorities grew suspicious of his nationality during routine checks and subjected his travel documents to detailed scrutiny. Under questioning, Khadka's true identity was revealed. Immigration officials subsequently recovered documents confirming him as Dinesh Khadka, born in 1994 and a resident of Ward No 10, Lamkichuha Municipality, Kailali district, Nepal. The recovered items included his Nepali citizenship certificate, a photocopy of his permanent account number (PAN) card and other travel records.
Khadka's name first surfaced in January 2022 during a major probe led by Nepal's Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) into the illicit foreign exchange and cryptocurrency trading. That inquiry implicated Khadka alongside three family members - including his father, Nara Bahadur Khadka, a politically affiliated individual - for their alleged involvement in transactions totalling approximately Rs 376.4 million.
Following his arrest in Lucknow, the Indian police charged Dinesh under Sections 337, 339, and 340 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, for the forgery of government identity documents, possession of forged documents and using forged documents as genuine.
He was also booked under Section 12 (1) (b) of the Passports Act, 1967, for furnishing false information or suppressing material facts to obtain a passport, and Section 22 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025. When contacted by THT for details regarding the charges pending against Dinesh in India, the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi did not respond prior to this publication till late evening.
This is not Dinesh's first brush with the law. On July 5, 2023, the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office had issued a press release detailing his prior arrest on June 13, 2023. At the time, police had identified him as an active agent, who facilitated and collected funds for illegal online sports betting via the 1XBET application, as well as crypto trading. He was subsequently transferred to the District Police Range, Kathmandu, for further investigation.
Police findings revealed Dinesh had fraudulently opened 42 bank accounts using citizenship documents obtained from individuals without their knowledge or consent. Through unauthorised electronic transactions, Rs 313.26 million was deposited into these accounts, with Rs 310.59 million then funnelled to external accounts.
Two victims filed formal complaints against Dinesh, accusing him of committing financial frauds under Sections 3 (a), 3 (b), 5 (a), 5 (c), and 6 of Banking Offence and Punishment Act, 2007. The case file and supporting documents were forwarded to District Police Range in Teku, Kathmandu, on July 4, 2023, for legal prosecution.
