Aug 03, Kathmandu - Pushparaj Bhattarai, a Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been taken into custody by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on Monday.

According to CIB spokesperson SSP Anupam Shamsher Rana, Bhattarai was detained on charges related to violations of the Passport Act. The investigation revealed that in 2068 BS, while serving as a branch officer, he illegally granted travel permissions to Tibetan refugees for monetary gain.

Bhattarai is scheduled to be presented before the court later today, SSP Rana confirmed.