Smart Cell Chairman Arrested For Fraud and Criminal Breach of Trust
6th May 2026, Kathmandu
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has arrested Sarvesh Joshi, the Chairman and Managing Director of Smart Telecom Pvt. Ltd. Joshi was taken into custody from Khursanitar, Kathmandu, on charges related to fraud and criminal breach of trust.
Smart Cell Chairman Arrested
The Allegations According to SSP Shiva Kumar Shrestha, Joshi was arrested following an official warrant from the Kathmandu District Court.
He is accused of acting dishonestly with the intent to undermine the government’s rightful ownership of Smart Telecom’s assets.
Background of Smart Telecom’s License Cancellation The legal issues stem from the company’s failure to maintain its operational status:
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License Issuance: Joshi obtained the license for basic telephone services from the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) on April 15, 2013 (Baisakh 2, 2070).
Automatic Cancellation: Due to the failure to renew the license on time, it was automatically canceled effective April 16, 2023 (Baisakh 3, 2080).
Asset Seizure: Following the cancellation, as per the Asset Management Rules for Telecommunication Service Providers, the NTA took control of all company assets, including infrastructure, systems, and networks.
Current Status The CIB alleges that Joshi engaged in fraudulent activities to prevent the government from claiming these assets. While the arrest has been made, the Bureau confirmed that further investigations into the case are currently underway.
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