The Special Bureau of the Nepal Police on Tuesday arrested a principal fundraiser for the banned Communist Party of Nepal.

Although multiple police sources confirmed to the Post that Arjun Katwal, treasurer of the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal, had been arrested, they were unwilling to disclose the details of the case.

“The arrest happened but further details will only be disclosed once the investigation is over,” a police official told the Post on condition of anonymity. “Katwal’s documents show that he recently visited Russia and South Korea. However, the motive behind the visits is unclear.”

Earlier reports suggested that Katwal was arrested at his office in Kalanki. However, Kalanki Police denied the arrest.

“When members of the Special Bureau arrest someone, they are handed over to local police,” said Deputy Inspector General Shailesh Thapa Kshetri, spokesperson for the Nepal Police. “However, I do not have any information on the Special Bureau’s work as it is kept secret.”

The Special Bureau, formed in March 2018, is the Nepal Police’s anti-terrorism wing.

Over 1,359 people with alleged links to the Chand outfit have been arrested till date. On October 16, the Dang District Police Office arrested 21 leaders and cadres of the group in Mugretha Khola of Rajapur Rural Municipality. They were allegedly preparing a strategy to disrupt the by-elections.

Similarly, on June 20, the Sarlahi in-charge of the party, 47-year-old Kumar Poudel, was killed in an alleged encounter with police in Lalbandi.

“Police have been taking strict action against party members and cadres since the ban on the party’s activities,” Kshetri told the Post. The government banned the group’s activities in March last year after a series of explosions in the Capital.

Though the government says it is open to talks with the group, Chand has said that he will only sit for talks if the government sends him an official invitation for dialogue, lifts the ban on his party, and releases all those arrested for being involved with the party.