Police have detained a person who filmed himself accosting and harassing health care workers who were entering Kathmandu Valley in a car on Friday.

A team from Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range took Uttam Karki of Chandragiri into custody after his misbehaviour, filmed by himself on his phone, went viral on social media, eliciting widespread condemnation.

In the video, Karki and a few other Chandragiri locals can be seen stopping a vehicle driven by Dr Narayan Karki, director of the Bagmati Provincial Public Health Laboratory. Karki proceeds to interrogate Dr Narayan about the precautions he's taken during his journey and then demands to see the contents of his bags.

Karki and others were allegedly working as volunteers to prevent people from entering the Valley during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“Karki was arrested by a team from the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range and is now in custody,” said Deputy Superintendent Krishna Kumar Chand of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range.

No one is allowed to interrogate and mistreat a person in the name of social work, he said.

“Karki will be charged with indecent behaviour,” said Chand.

Despite having no legal authority, Karki had reportedly been conducting such spot checks on vehicles and individuals, checking their personal belongings and interrogating them.

The video had been widely criticised on social media, with many asking how an ordinary citizen could take the law into his own hands. Many had also alleged that Karki's actions amounted to harassment of the doctor.

After the video went viral, the Home Ministry had directed the police to investigate the case.

The incident also prompted the Ranipokhari Metropolitan Police Office to form a two-member committee to investigate whether police personnel were involved in abetting Karki's actions, according to Senior Superintendent Sushil Kumar Yadav.