Kingpin of arrested Chinese absconding

Published On: December 25, 2019 07:48 AM NPT By: Tapendra Karki

KATHMANDU, Dec 25: The kingpin of the 122 Chinese nationals who were arrested on Monday for illegal stay in Nepal, is absconding, police have learned.

During police investigations, those arrested said that their passports and other documents were with their ‘boss’.

Meanwhile, the District Administration Office (DAO), Kathmandu, has remanded the arrested Chinese for five days for further investigations. The DAO has remanded them for ‘bad behavior’.

The arrests were made following a request from the Chinese government to detain its nationals who were involved in shady dealings. The Chinese side has requested the Nepal government to arrest almost 1,006 of their nationals who are believed to be involved in ‘suspicious’ activities in Nepal.

Police have arrested a total of 122 Chinese nationals in the first phase. They are conducting operations in Chitwan and Pokhara in the second phase, a high-level source at the Police Headquarters said. The source added that police are searching for the kingpin, and ‘suspicious’ Chinese citizens staying outside Kathmandu are under surveillance.

According to DIG Niraj Kumar Shahi, chief of Central Investigation Bureau, this is a joint operation and the Metropolitan Police Range will make further investigations.

A source at the Ministry of Home Affairs said the arrested Chinese nationals who are staying illegally in Nepal will be deported to China.

According to SSP Sahakul Thapa, chief at Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD), the Chinese will be investigated for ‘bad behavior’ as they didn’t have their passports with them.

Chief of Metropolitan Police Range, DSP Hobindra Bogati, also confirmed that those arrested didn’t have their passports. “More than 100 of those arrested don’t have passports,” he said.

The arrests were made on Monday, but police have failed to interrogate the Chinese due to the language problem. They are trying to bring in an interpreter from the Campus of International Languages.

Of late, there has been an increase in the involvement of Chinese nationals in banking fraud and hackings in Nepal.

A team from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) and Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu made the arrests following a meeting between high-level authorities of Nepal and China.

According to a source, Nepal Police HQ some two months ago directed the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office (MPCO), Ranipokhari, Metropolitan Police Crime Division and Metropolitan Police Range (MPR) to keep an eye on the Chinese.

Police made raids at Manamaiju, Budanilakantha, Bansbari and Thamel after being tipped off that Chinese nationals involved in ‘criminal’ activities were hiding in those localities.