Cyber Crime Law in Nepal 2026: Offences, Penalties & Reporting

Cyber crime laws in Nepal are mainly governed by the Electronic Transactions Act 2063, while the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police receives complaints. No single fixed completion timeline applies to every complaint, so preserve evidence and verify the current process with the Bureau or a lawyer.

Key Takeaways

Nepal’s cyber-crime framework combines the Electronic Transactions Act 2063 with other laws that may apply to privacy, defamation, banking fraud, or offences involving children. The Cyber Bureau investigates complaints, but the correct legal route depends on the conduct, evidence, affected person, and possible overlap between statutes.

• ETA 2063 is the principal cyber-law statute. Its Chapter 9 covers cyber offences in Sections 44-58.
• The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police at Bhotahiti is the main complaint and investigation authority identified in the supplied material.
• Section 47 ETA 2063 concerns publishing illegal electronic content and can arise in online-content cases.
• Hacking, source-code damage, computer fraud, and abetment are addressed by different ETA provisions.
• Privacy, defamation, banking fraud, and offences involving children may also require supplementary laws.
• Preserve original chats, screenshots, URLs, account details, and transaction records before reporting.
• The Information Technology and Cybersecurity Bill 2080 is described as a pending reform proposal, not a replacement already in force.

What law governs cyber crime in Nepal?

The Electronic Transactions Act 2063 governs Nepal’s main cyber-offence framework. The Act contains 12 chapters and 80 sections, with Chapter 9 covering Sections 44-58. The Cyber Bureau investigates complaints, while privacy, defamation, banking, and child-protection laws may apply alongside ETA 2063.

The Act is commonly called ETA 2063 or the Electronic Transaction Act Nepal. It was enacted on 24 Bhadra 2063 BS and is identified in the supplied material as Nepal’s first comprehensive cyber-law framework. The Nepali statutory text is available through the Nepal Law Commission.

ETA does more than regulate criminal conduct. The current material describes provisions dealing with electronic records, digital signatures, certifying-authority licensing, the Controller of Certifying Authorities, the Information Technology Tribunal, and the Information Technology Appellate Tribunal.

That distinction matters. A hacked account, a fraudulent online transfer, a private image shared without consent, and a defamatory post may involve different facts. The correct section cannot be selected from the platform alone. The content, method, victim, intent, loss, and available evidence all matter.

Which authority receives a cyber crime complaint in Nepal?

The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police receives cyber crime complaints through its identified complaint channels. The Bureau is at Bhotahiti, Kathmandu, and the supplied material identifies its hotline as 9851286770, its email as cyberbureau@nepalpolice.gov.np, and its online portal as cyberbureau.nepalpolice.gov.np.

The Bureau is described as having been established in 2017 under the Central Investigation Bureau. It coordinates with District Police Offices and, where relevant, with Meta, Google, TikTok, Viber, and Interpol for cross-border evidence retrieval. Those channels do not guarantee that a platform will remove content or disclose information.

For a current cyber bureau Nepal complaint, check the official Cyber Bureau Nepal Police portal before submitting. Online channels, contact details, and filing instructions can change. If the portal does not answer your particular situation, verify the correct route with the Bureau.

A lawyer can help organise the facts, identify possible ETA provisions, and prepare a clear complaint. That assistance does not make Alpine Law Associates a police authority, and it cannot guarantee investigation, platform action, arrest, recovery, or prosecution.

What offences are covered by ETA Chapter 9?

ETA Chapter 9 covers cyber offences in Sections 44-58. The supplied penalty map identifies source-code damage, unauthorised access, illegal electronic content, computer fraud, and abetment as key provisions. The applicable offence depends on the conduct proved, so a section label should not be chosen from a keyword alone.

Section 44: source-code piracy or damage

Section 44 ETA 2063 addresses knowingly destroying, altering, or pirating computer source code required for a computer programme. The supplied material states a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of NPR 200,000.

Section 45: unauthorised access

Section 45 ETA 2063 concerns unauthorised access, commonly described as hacking. The supplied material states a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of NPR 200,000. Whether an incident falls within this section depends on the access, authorisation, system, and evidence.

Section 47: illegal electronic content

Section 47 ETA 2063 concerns publishing illegal electronic content. The supplied material states a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of NPR 100,000. The section may arise in social-media and online-content disputes, but not every criticism, disagreement, or unpleasant post automatically establishes the offence.

Section 51: computer fraud

Section 51 ETA 2063 addresses computer fraud. The supplied material states a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of NPR 100,000. OTP deception, account manipulation, and digital payment incidents may also raise banking-law issues, so the complete transaction trail should be preserved.

Section 52: abetment

Section 52 ETA 2063 concerns abetment of a cyber offence. The supplied material identifies a fine of NPR 50,000. The legal position depends on the alleged assistance and the underlying offence. Do not assume that forwarding a message or knowing an account owner is enough without examining the facts.

The current article refers to the full Chapter 9 range, but the supplied material does not provide a complete section-by-section description for Sections 46, 48-50, and 53-58. For those provisions, obtain the statutory text or case-specific advice rather than relying on an incomplete online summary.

How do you file a Cyber Bureau Nepal complaint?

You can begin a Cyber Bureau Nepal complaint through the identified online channel or by approaching the Bureau in person. The supplied material does not establish one universal document list or completion period. Preserve the evidence first, explain the conduct clearly, and verify the current filing instructions with the receiving authority.

1. Stabilise the account or transaction. Contact the relevant bank for financial fraud, change available security settings, and avoid further communication with the suspected offender.
2. Preserve original evidence. Keep full screenshots, the URL bar, usernames, phone numbers, timestamps, chat exports, transaction receipts, emails, and relevant account information. Do not crop away details that may identify the source.
3. Prepare a clear chronology. Record what happened, when it happened, which account or device was involved, what loss or harm followed, and whether the content remains available.
4. Choose the verified complaint channel. Use the Cyber Bureau portal, email, hotline, or in-person route only after checking the current instructions. The Bureau may require information or supporting material that varies with the incident.
5. Report financial harm promptly. Notify the bank or relevant financial institution where an OTP, payment, account, or transfer is involved. A Cyber Bureau report does not replace immediate financial-fraud notification.
6. Keep the submission record. Save the complaint copy, attachments, acknowledgement, reference details, and later communications. These materials help your lawyer or the authority understand what was originally reported.

The “first 48 hours” is a practical evidence-preservation focus from the existing material, not a universal statutory deadline for every cyber complaint. A fast report may help preserve information, but no fixed investigation or resolution period is established here.

What evidence should you preserve for an online crime?

Useful cyber-crime evidence includes complete screenshots, URLs, account identifiers, chat exports, transaction records, emails, and device information. Preserve the original material before deleting or blocking an account. The value of evidence depends on authenticity, context, continuity, and whether it helps connect the conduct to a person or system.

For an online post, retain the full post, profile name, profile link, date, time, comments, shares, and any threatening or deceptive messages. For hacking, preserve login alerts, recovery emails, changed-password notices, device alerts, and available account history.

For OTP or payment fraud, keep bank messages, transaction receipts, call records, phone numbers, wallet details, and communication with the bank. Do not publish sensitive banking information publicly while trying to warn others.

For sextortion or intimate-image threats, preserve the threat and account details without forwarding private images to unrelated people. If a child may be involved, treat the situation as especially sensitive and obtain urgent legal and protective guidance.

Do not confront the suspected offender, threaten retaliation, fabricate a screenshot, or delete the original chat. A public denial can also spread the material further. If you have already deleted something, tell the lawyer and the authority honestly; do not recreate evidence as if it were original.

Which other laws may apply to cyber crime in Nepal?

Cyber incidents may also engage the Privacy Act 2075, National Criminal Code 2074, Banking and Financial Institutions Act 2073, or Children’s Act 2075. These laws do not automatically replace ETA 2063. The conduct and victim determine whether a parallel privacy, defamation, banking-fraud, or child-protection claim is available.

The Privacy Act 2075 is described as governing personal-data collection, processing, and protection. Its complaint window is identified as three months, with the District Court named in the supplied material. That period should not be confused with a universal ETA filing deadline.

The Criminal Code provisions are described as covering slander, libel, and electronic or mass-media defamation. The current material identifies Sections 305-307, including a further electronic-media consequence under Section 307. A defamatory-post allegation may therefore require analysis under both ETA Section 47 and the Criminal Code.

Readers dealing with privacy or online defamation can review Alpine’s guides on privacy laws in Nepal and Nepal defamation law. Those topics should be kept distinct from hacking or computer-fraud complaints.

Where is a cyber crime case tried in Nepal?

The supplied framework identifies the Information Technology Tribunal as the first-instance forum for cyber offences, with appeal to the Information Technology Appellate Tribunal. A matter involving criminal-code overlap, including fraud or defamation, may also involve the District Court. The proper forum depends on the charge and procedural route.

The investigating authority and trial forum are not the same thing. The Cyber Bureau receives and investigates complaints. A tribunal or court handles adjudication according to the charge brought and the applicable law.

This forum distinction is important for a victim and an accused person. A complaint to the Cyber Bureau is not itself a conviction. Likewise, being contacted during an inquiry does not by itself establish guilt. Each side should preserve records and obtain advice before making statements or signing documents.

Alpine’s team can assist with a complaint, legal response, or criminal litigation strategy through its criminal case litigation service. The firm can advise and represent clients, but the authority or court controls the investigation, hearing, and outcome.

What is the status of the IT Bill 2080 in Nepal?

The Information Technology and Cybersecurity Bill 2080 is described as a pending proposal intended to replace ETA 2063 with a modern framework. It is not presented in the supplied material as an enacted replacement. Until the legal position changes, verify the operative statute and current government position before relying on the Bill.

The proposal is referred to as the IT Bill 2080 Nepal or Information Technology and Cybersecurity Bill 2080 (2024). The current material says civil-society concerns about free speech and surveillance provisions remain under debate.

That means a Bill should not be cited as though it already creates an offence, penalty, authority, or deadline. For a current complaint in 2026, identify the law presently relied on by the receiving authority. A lawyer can assess whether a proposed reform has any practical relevance to your matter.

What should you do after a cyber crime incident?

After a cyber incident, preserve evidence, protect the affected account or transaction, notify the relevant bank where money is involved, and verify the Cyber Bureau’s current complaint channel. Do not retaliate or publish private material. A lawyer can help separate ETA, privacy, defamation, banking, and child-protection issues.

Illustrative Nepal scenario: A Kathmandu resident receives an OTP message, shares the code after a caller claims to represent a service provider, and later sees an unauthorised transaction. The person should preserve the message, number, call record, bank alert, and transaction details, notify the bank, and report the incident through the verified Cyber Bureau channel.

That example does not decide whether Section 51, a banking provision, or another offence applies. The authority would need to examine the communications, transaction trail, account access, and available evidence. The same caution applies to a hacked Facebook account, Telegram sextortion, or a widely shared defamatory post.

If you are accused under Section 47, do not delete the post or edit the account history without advice. Preserve the original context, publication details, communications, and any response. If you are the victim, avoid public confrontation that may amplify the material or create a separate dispute.

The online environment can cross borders. The supplied material describes coordination with major platforms and Interpol, but international cooperation does not create a guaranteed response time. Evidence held outside Nepal may require a different request or investigative step.

What can a lawyer do in a cyber crime matter?

A cyber-lawyer can help classify the conduct, organise digital evidence, prepare a complaint or response, and assess overlapping statutes. Legal counsel cannot promise a Cyber Bureau result, platform disclosure, arrest, recovery of money, dismissal, or trial timeline. The authority and court retain control over their own decisions.

For a victim, legal support may include arranging a chronology, identifying missing evidence, separating urgent bank action from police reporting, and explaining possible privacy or defamation issues. For an accused person, advice may include preserving exculpatory records, responding carefully to notices, and understanding the alleged section.

Alpine Law Associates advises and represents clients in Nepal. Our team can help you assess a cyber complaint or defence and direct the matter to the appropriate legal service. Do not send passwords, OTPs, or unnecessary intimate material through an unsecured contact message.

This article is general information, not legal advice for a specific incident. Cyber offences, evidence, limitation periods, and official procedures can change or depend on facts. Verify the current position with the Cyber Bureau, the relevant court, or a qualified advocate.

In short: what are the cyber crime laws in Nepal?

Nepal’s principal cyber statute is ETA 2063, especially Chapter 9 and Sections 44-58. The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police at Bhotahiti receives complaints through identified channels. Preserve evidence quickly, notify the bank for financial fraud, avoid retaliation, and obtain case-specific advice where ETA overlaps with privacy, defamation, banking, or child-protection law.

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If you need help assessing a cyber offence, preparing a Cyber Bureau complaint, or responding to an allegation under ETA 2063, contact Alpine Law Associates and ask about our criminal case litigation service. Our team can advise and represent you, subject to the facts and the authority’s process.