Over Rs 10 Million Stolen from 4,000 eSewa Accounts Through Phishing Scam

More than Rs 10 million has been fraudulently siphoned from the eSewa digital wallets of over 4,000 users through a sophisticated phishing scam involving fake SMS alerts.

The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office made the revelation following the arrest of 22-year-old Rahul Budha from Kanchanpur, who is accused of orchestrating the cyber theft.

According to Superintendent of Police Angur GC, the suspect exploited a mass messaging system known as AT Alert, typically used by government and authorized institutions, to send deceptive SMS messages. These alerts warned recipients that their eSewa accounts were at risk of closure and urged them to click on a link for verification. The links, however, redirected users to phishing sites, giving the perpetrator unauthorized access to their eSewa accounts.

Budha allegedly transferred the stolen funds—totaling Rs 10.2 million—from the compromised accounts into merchant accounts registered under Pashupati Global Innovation Private Limited.

He was arrested in Kalimati and is currently being held at the District Police Complex in Bhadrakali, Kathmandu, as further investigation and legal proceedings are underway.