Asheshwar Yadav, the Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal candidate for Siraha-3, has been arrested.
Police took him into custody at midnight during the election silence period after he was found in possession of a significant amount of cash.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramesh Pal of the District Police Office, Siraha, Yadav and four others were detained around 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Those arrested include Shyam Kumar Yadav, Ram Pravesh Yadav, and Birendra Kumar Yadav – all from Bishnupur Rural Municipality-5 – as well as the driver, Jitendra Kumar Mahato.
Security personnel intercepted their vehicle (registration number Pra. 2-02-001 Cha 087) at Shiva Chowk in Siraha during a joint search operation while it was traveling from the Nepal-India border area of Madar toward the Siraha district headquarters.
During the search, Rs 487,000 in cash was recovered from the vehicle, according to DSP Pal.
Police claim that ballot papers were also recovered from the vehicle.
All detainees are currently being held at the District Police Office. DSP Pal said that preparations are underway to hand them over to the Office of the Chief Election Officer on Wednesday for necessary legal action.
Under the Election Code of Conduct, if a candidate violates the code during the silence period, they can be fined up to Rs 100,000 or face the cancellation of their candidacy under Section 23 of the Election Commission Act, 2016.
