KATHMANDU, May 4: Police have so far made a few high-profile arrests involving a racket accused of sending Nepali nationals to the USA in the guise of Bhutanese refugees. So far, eight people have been detained for investigations into the alleged fraud of millions of rupees in the fake Bhutanese refugee scam.
Spokesperson for the Nepal Police, Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat said arrest warrants have been issued against some more people and the police have been searching for them.
The District Police Rang, Kathmandu is looking after the case. So far 106 people from various districts have filed 20 complaints at the range against an alleged swindling of a total of 232.5 million, promising them to ensure their journey to the US as Bhutanese refugees. As the Range said, though the figure of alleged victims is expected to be more than this, other people have not come into the police contact yet. Police continue their investigations against the people who are named as the offenders in the complaints.
The police investigations have revealed a nexus between conmen and highly-placed bureaucrats and politicians in the fake Bhutanese refugees scam active since 2077 BS.
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The first complaint against this was registered at the Crime Investigation Office last year. The main accused in the scam: Keshab Dulal, Sanu Bhandari and Tanka Gurung, were arrested on March 25, after ten months of the registration of the complaint. After some days, Sandesh Sharma Pokhrel and Sagar Thuling were apprehended.
Based on their statements, the involvement of Home Ministry officials and the high political leadership in the scam was established, according to the Office's preliminary investigation report.
The report and related documents were later handed to the Range by the Office for further investigations and to undertake legal procedures over the case. The police on May 2 arrested Dr Indrajit Rai, the then political advisor to former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and it followed the arrests of the then home secretary and incumbent secretary at the Office of the Vice President, Tek Narayan Pandey, and Sandeep Rayamajhi, son of former Energy Minister and the CPN-UML secretary Top Bahadur Raymajhi.
Police have already confiscated a cheque issued by a group of people involved in the scam mentioning Sandeep Rayamajhi as the payee. A warrant has been issued against UML Secretary Rayamajhi and Dr Rai's son Niraj as well. According to the police, Niraj is accused of receiving money from various hotels in Kathmandu.
Niraj received thousands of rupees in commissions at various hotels in Kathmandu, according to a police source. "Some other persons are also under investigation. They will get arrested after collecting evidence," said a police officer involved in the investigations.
The racketeers are found to have made fake identity cards of Bhutanese refugees and related documents with the government logos addressed to the Ministry of Home Affairs, it has been said.
They took between Rs 1.5 million and Rs 2 million each from their clients after making them fill out the forms. Their clients were those people aspiring to go to the United States, their relatives, friends and known persons.
They would convince their clients the process to send them to the US was under progress through collusion with high ranking officials at the Home Ministry and the committee relating to the resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees. In the process of manipulating the alleged victims, the group used to show various documents relating to the Home Ministry, the Labour Ministry and the committee.
They are accused of making alleged victims visit various towns including Pathari, Beldangi, Biratnagar, Sauraha and Kathmandu in the name of collecting their biometrics.
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