The government has transferred five Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs), including key officers investigating the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.

Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha took the ministerial decision on Monday.

The home ministry transferred Dan Bahadur Karki, chief of the Police Range Kathmandu, Manoj KC, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Office, Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri of Nepal Police Headquarters, Sanuram Bhattarai of the Directorate of Women, Children and Senior Citizens and Somendra Singh Rathaur of the National Security Council secretariat, according to Kuber Kadayat, central spokesperson for Nepal Police.

Karki has been transferred to the secretariat of the police chief in the head office while KC has been sent to the directorate. Both of them were key officials investigating the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.

Former home minister Balkrishna Khand of Nepali Congress, former energy minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and government secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, among other senior officials and middlemen, were arrested in connection with the scam for the investigation.

The government decision, made amid ongoing investigations into the scam, has been keenly watched as police were further investigating the alleged involvement of some other high profile individuals with connections with the top political leadership.

Earlier, a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday had decided to transfer Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Shyam Gyawali, who led the investigation of the refugee scam.

Now SSP Khatri has been deputed at District Police Range Kathmandu and Rathaur has been sent to Valley Crime Investigation Office.

SSP Bhattarai and KC have been deputed at the National Security Council secretariat and at the Women, Children and Senior Citizen Directorate, respectively.