Police have apprehended Durga Prasain, controversial medical entrepreneur and coordinator of the ‘Nation, nationality, religion, culture and citizens’ rescue campaign’, in Pokhara on Monday on charges of spreading misleading information that allegedly undermined the credibility of the Election Commission (EC).

Prasain was taken into custody by Kaski police from near Pokhara Airport, police said. His arrest followed a request from the EC for investigation after he released a video claiming that a faction of the Nepali Congress (NC) had paid Rs520 million to the Commission to influence election results.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Haribahadur Basnet, spokesperson of Kaski police, said the Commission wrote to the police seeking action after concluding that Prasain’s statements had caused serious damage to the reputation of a constitutional body.

According to the police, EC deployed two separate units for the investigation. The Cyber Bureau has been tasked with conducting a digital forensic probe into the alleged spread of misinformation on social media, while the District Police Range, Kathmandu, has been instructed to execute the arrest warrant and pursue further legal procedures.

In the video released a few days ago, Prasain linked internal disputes within the Congress to elections and alleged that senior officials at the Commission had accepted large sums of money to manipulate results. The EC has dismissed the claims as baseless and misleading, stating that they were intended to tarnish its institutional image.

Police said preparations are underway to bring Prasain to Kathmandu for further investigation.