A major trafficking scandal has been unearthed, revealing a network of manpower consultancies exploiting visit visas with the assistance of Department of Immigration (DoI) and Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) personnel through document forgery.
The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office recently apprehended officials from the DoI and NAC, shedding light on a disturbing operation. Investigations led to the arrest of 32 individuals involved in document forgery and human trafficking. Narbir Khadka from DoI and Homnath Pokharel from NAC were among those arrested based on testimonies gathered.
Chief of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, SSP Somendra Singh Rathore, revealed, “Since October 6, we’ve detained 32 individuals linked to a syndicate engaged in falsifying documents and trafficking using visit visas. Legal measures have been taken against the apprehended. Additionally, three more individuals were held on December 13 and are presently under scrutiny.”
He further disclosed, “Six of the 32 detainees operate educational consultancies, while one is a current police officer, and another is a former officer.”
The investigation highlighted collusion between NAC employees and DoI officials facilitating human trafficking through visit visas. Allegedly, individuals were sent abroad with forged documents under the guise of visit visas, orchestrated in association with Devraj Khanal, the proprietor of Rolex Travel Agent. Pokharel is reported to have received Rs 2 million from Khanal for enabling these deceptive practices.
This revelation has raised concerns about the exploitation of visit visas, shedding light on the complicity of certain officials in such illicit activities. The crackdown signifies a pivotal step towards combating human trafficking and document forgery, emphasizing the need for stringent measures to thwart such nefarious operations.
