POKHARA: The Kaski District Police Office on Friday arrested two individuals—including an Indian national—for their involvement in an online fraud operation that duped people under the pretext of foreign travel and employment opportunities.

The arrested suspects have been identified as 26-year-old Bibek Regmi of Kanchanpur Municipality-12, Saptari, and 30-year-old Mohammed Yashir from Karnataka state, India.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Birendra Kumar Paswan, police raided an office operating out of a rented house in Prasyang, Pokhara Metropolitan City-5, after receiving tips that the duo was scamming people online by promising travel packages to various Asian and European countries.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects set up an entity called ‘Oasis Tourism International’ to collect money from victims through fake lucky draw coupons, attractive gift schemes, and foreign travel offers.

Police report that they have defrauded at least 30 people of approximately Rs 966,000 so far and recruited 15 unemployed youths into the operation under the guise of providing them jobs.

Police seized two computers, eight registers, six receipts, four office stamps, and several counterfoil receipts during the raid.