Kathmandu, Former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, his wife MP Arzu Rana Deuba, and former minister Deepak Khadka are likely to face arrest warrants soon, according to sources at the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI), which has intensified its investigation.

The department began formal inquiry after collecting charred currency fragments and evidence from the residences of Deuba, CPN-Maoist Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, and Khadka, which were targeted during protests on Bhadra 24. Videos and photos widely shared on social media had shown alleged stacks of cash burning and people sifting through rubble after the fire.

Following mounting pressure and public outrage, the Home Ministry directed CIB and DMLI to act on the issue. Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal recently stated that cases stalled for "political reasons" will now proceed as per the law, raising anxiety among senior political leaders from the former coalition government.

Although the incident occurred weeks ago, with immediate circulation of visuals online, the DMLI only began collecting evidence around two weeks later. Their team visited Deuba and Khadka’s Budhanilkantha residences on Ashoj 5, and Dahal’s Khumaltar residence on Ashoj 7.

Deuba’s secretariat has denied the authenticity of the circulated videos, calling them politically motivated and misleading. However, forensic analysis of the samples collected is currently underway.