KATHMANDU: Lakshmi Sen Sunar, the treasurer of Image Savings and Credit Cooperative in Baglung, has been arrested in Lalitpur, while seven others, including Chairman Dev Kumar Nepali, are still at large.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police apprehended the 27-year-old Sunar on Friday in Lalitpur-3, Dhobighat.

The cooperative, which has branches in Baglung and Pokhara, is accused of embezzling over 2 billion rupees from more than four thousand depositors.

Earlier, the police had issued arrest warrants against 13 individuals, including Chairman Nepali and Treasurer Sunar.

According to SP Navaraj Adhikari, Sunar has been handed over to the District Police Office, Baglung.

The cooperative’s chairman, Nepali, along with other officials, has been on the run since then.

The police have already issued Red Corner Notices against Mayor Nepali and his wife, a Nepali citizen of Tibetan origin, Chhela Nepali.

Although the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) has issued Red Corner Notices against them, they have not been apprehended yet.

Out of the 13 individuals who were on the run, five were already arrested in Baglung, according to DSP Madan KC, the spokesperson for Baglung District Police Office.

Previously, Chitra Bahadur Bhandari, Lalmati Roka, Shakti Kisan, Dhruva Bahadur Pariyar, and Anita Budha Magar were also arrested in connection with the case.