KATHMANDU: Congress lawmaker Maya Rai, who had been absconding for seven months in connection with a cooperative fraud case, has been arrested.

A team from the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office detained Rai from Kapan on Saturday, according to SSP Ramesh Basnet. She will be handed over to the District Police range Kathmandu for further Court proceedings, he said.

Despite confirmed reports of her involvement in the embezzlement of funds from the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative in Kalimati, Kathmandu, authorities had shown little interest in apprehending her. Previously, police had claimed her whereabouts were unknown, effectively granting her immunity for months.

Rai, who served two terms as a director of the Swarnalaxmi Cooperative, was implicated in the misappropriation of depositors’ money during her tenure. The cooperative’s main director, GB Rai, remains at large.
Originally from Bhojpur, Maya Rai was elected to the House of Representatives through the proportional representation system. Despite being on the run, she continued to draw her House of Representatives salary.