Police have obtained court approval to keep celebrity chef Santosh Shah, known for promoting Mithila cuisine nationally and internationally through his Mithila Thali restaurant chain, in custody for at least three days as part of a fraud investigation.

Shah was produced before the Kathmandu District Court on Monday after police sought a remand to investigate allegations of fraud. The court authorised three days of detention, according to Superintendent of Police Pawan Bhattarai of the Kathmandu District Police Range.

Shah was arrested in Janakpur by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on charges related to a banking offence and was subsequently transferred to the Kathmandu District Police Range in Bhadrakali for further investigation.

Police also arrested Narayan Sah Sudi, another operator of the same restaurant business. Both cases are linked to a restaurant venture the pair had sought to run in Gairidhara, Kathmandu.

According to the complaint, Shakuntala Thapa sold a restaurant in Gairidhara to Shah and Sudi for Rs13 million. Shah allegedly issued cheques as payment, but the cheques were returned unpaid when the complainant attempted to encash them.

Police said they had previously facilitated several rounds of discussions between the two sides in an effort to reach a settlement. However, after the agreed deadlines expired without a resolution, a case was filed in court. A separate fraud complaint was later registered with the police.

Shah is one of Nepal’s best-known chefs and is credited with helping introduce Nepali cuisine to a global audience. He rose to international prominence after reaching the final of the BBC television programme “MasterChef: The Professionals” in 2020, where his performances drew widespread attention in Nepal and abroad.