Kathmandu: In a major cybercrime incident, police have arrested a 22-year-old man, Rahul Budha, for hacking into more than 4,000 e-Sewa digital wallets and illegally transferring Rs 10.2 million.

Budha, a resident of Krishnapur Municipality-1, Kanchanpur, currently living in Kathmandu, was found to have used phishing techniques to gain unauthorized access to users' e-Sewa accounts. According to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Budha sent SMS messages to users falsely claiming their accounts were about to be suspended, urging them to click a verification link—which was a phishing site.

Once victims clicked the link and entered their credentials, Budha accessed their accounts and transferred their funds to the account of Pashupati Global Innovation Pvt. Ltd., police confirmed.

Superintendent of Police Angur GC, spokesperson for the Crime Investigation Office, shared details of the incident in a press briefing following Budha’s arrest in Kalimati, Kathmandu.

Authorities are continuing the investigation, and legal proceedings against Budha are underway. The incident has raised fresh concerns about digital security and awareness, especially amid the growing use of digital payment platforms in Nepal.

Police have urged the public not to click on suspicious links and to verify any communication claiming to be from e-Sewa or other financial services directly through official channels.