The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) issued a red corner notice against Dhorpatan Mayor Dev Kumar Nepali on Friday.

Eight people, including Nepali, who is also the chair of Image Saving and Credit Co-operative, and his wife Chhela Nepali, have been accused of embezzling almost Rs2 billion from depositors and banks.

Nepal Police Headquarters issued the notice through the international organisation. The issuance of a red corner notice means police of 192 member countries of Interpol will be searching for the couple.

An arrest warrant had been issued against the accused on June 7 of last year. However, the cooperative issued a notice on April 21, 2023 claiming that it had to be closed down due to a ‘liquidity crisis’. The accused have been on the run since, police said.

Depositors had claimed that the accused were hiding in a foreign country and had demanded that a red corner notice be issued, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Madan KC.

A total of 1,150 police complaints have been filed against the accused. Acting on the same, government attorneys had filed a case of organised fraud at the district court against Nepali.

Nepali has allegedly embezzled Rs1.6 billion from depositors. He also loaned Rs350 million from Global IME Bank, National Cooperatives Bank, and Garima Bikas Bank.

The Baglung District Court on July 21, 2023, sent Chitra Bahadur Bhandari, Naramati Budha, Shakti Kisan, Dor Bahadur Pariyar, and Anita Budhamagar to judicial custody in connection with the case. The arrestees have denied their involvement in the crime, as per the statements recorded by the police.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Thursday arrested 27-year-old Laxmi Sen Sunar in connection with the case. Sunar, who is the treasurer of the cooperative, was taken into custody from Dhobighat, Lalitpur.

She has been transferred to the Baglung District Police Office for further investigation, said Superintendent of Police Navaraj Adhikari, also the spokesperson for CIB.