Police on Friday arrested two women from Butwal for their alleged involvement in duping people of their money on the pretext of taking them to the US.

A team from Kathmandu Metropolitan Crime Division, Teku, arrested Kopila Sharma, 27, and Amisa KC, 19, on charge of defrauding Rs 6.6 million from various people.

SP Ishwar Karki, spokesperson for the division, said Sharma and KC, who hail from Baglung district, are accused of posing as US Diversity Visa holders and luring their victims with the promise of marrying them and taking them to the US.

“They were found using social media, like facebook and Tiktok, to get in touch with the victims,” said Karki.

The two women, who were based in Bhaktapur, were found hiding in Butwal.

“We tracked their location from their cell phones. They were arrested and brought to Kathmandu for investigation,” said Karki. 

Fraud cases have been rising in the country, with police receiving hundreds of complaints every year.

According to the data maintained by the Nepal Police headquarters, there were 368 cases of fraud across the country in the fiscal year 2016-17. The number rose to 542 in the fiscal year 2017-18. In the fiscal year 2018-19, police registered 627 cases related to fraud.