Police on Friday arrested Dipesh Pun, son of former Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, in connection with cooperative fraud and gold smuggling.

According to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Rabi Lamichhane, Dipesh was detained from Dhapasi.

On September 5 last year, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) interrogated Dipesh for his alleged involvement in the smuggling of 60.716 kg gold which was seized immediately after it passed undetected from Tribhuvan International Airport customs office in Kathmandu in July of the same year.

After CIB officials recorded his statement, the junior Pun was freed on the condition that he be present as and when needed in the course of the investigation.

On February 5, depositors of the Pokhara-based Suryadarshan Savings and Credit Cooperatives had submitted a complaint to the district police against three people, including Rastriya Swatantra Party chair Lamichhane, now home minister.

The cooperative victims had presented the details to the district police also against Dipesh, former chair of the cooperative Gyan Bahadur Bomjan and 15 different companies.