On 15 January 2026, The Kathmandu Post report a that Nepal Police have arrested six owners and managers of local education consultancies accused of defrauding Nepali students by placing them in unaccredited institutions in the United Arab Emirates.
The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) found that these consultancies marketed training centres in the UAE as legitimate colleges or universities with foreign affiliations, charging students between NPR 800,000 and NPR 2.2 million. Many of the placements were in facilities that lacked recognition from the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation, meaning students were misled about the academic value of their programs.
Complaints from students placed in these institutions — including claims of poor educational quality, broken promises on part-time work opportunities, and irregular classes — prompted months of protests under the banner “Scan the Scammers.” Students are calling for refunds, compensation, and further investigations into both consultancies and government certification practices.
The CIB issued an official statement on the matter on it website (see the original, and English translation). Statement lists five individuals arrested on 15 January 2026, and the education agencies that they are associated with.
One of the named businesses – Best Path Education Consultancy – has pushed back on the police action, releasing a statement in Nepali on its Facebook page on 18 January 2026:
The English translation (done by Google AI) is as follows:
Best Path EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
Best Path Education Consultancy, Bag Baneshwor, Kathmandu
Date: 2082/10/02 (16 January 2026)
Our serious attention has been drawn to the news recently published in various media regarding the issue of Best Path Education Consultancy.
In this context, we would like to clarify:
- Best Path Education Consultancy and its operators are completely innocent. We want to strongly clarify that we have not taken a single rupee from any student as suggested by the media reports, and we have not deceived anyone.
- For studying Culinary Art at UAE’s Gateway Institute of Professional Studies (DMCC), some students had gone legally after obtaining NOC (No Objection Certificate) from the Government of Nepal. The students had applied because the university was registered and approved by the Government of Nepal itself, and they had gone on that basis.
- We want to publicly inform you that after the service quality of the university was not satisfactory, Best Path Education Consultancy arranged for the students’ tickets at its own expense and brought them back to Nepal.
- The students made payments directly to the university, not to our institution; we were only in the role of a consultant.
- Due to the delay in fee refund under the name of university rules and procedures, a few students have filed a complaint. In this matter, we ourselves are continuously working with the UAE Embassy, Government of Nepal, Ministry of Education, and all other concerned bodies.
- It is the weakness of the university and its representatives for not refunding the fees on time. If the university was so weak and illegal, then: Why did the Government of Nepal register it? Why was the NOC issued?
- Even while continuously working for the benefit of the students, defaming the name of our institution without evidence and without fault is extremely unfair. If any fault is proven on our part, we are ready to face punishment according to the law, but character assassination without guilt and without evidence is not acceptable.
Our clear demands:
- Investigate the body that registered the university,
- Strict action against the concerned university and representatives,
- Initiate efforts for student fee refunds at the government-to-government level.
Best Path Education Consultancy never compromises with the future of students.
We stand on the side of truth and are confident that the ultimate truth will come out.
- Best Path Education Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.
Shankhamul, Kathmandu, Nepal
+977-01-5922074.
This matter is ongoing, and no final judicial findings have been made. At the time of writing, the matter remains under investigation and no final judicial findings have been made. All individuals and entities named by Nepal Police have the right to contest the allegations, and at least one consultancy has publicly denied wrongdoing.
It will be of interest to see how regulators and the courts ultimately consider the allocation of responsibility across education agents, overseas providers, and the authorities involved in registration and approval. In the meantime, the case highlights the importance of clear agent oversight and due diligence processes.
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