KATHMANDU, July 7: It has been revealed that the night clubs and dance bars in the capital have become hubs of criminal activities after the Nepal Police arrested two people involved in two incidents in June alone. The police have kept night clubs and dance bars in the capital under surveillance after the rape of a 16-year-old girl and the arrest of those active in the gathering and dealing in illegal drugs.

On Thursday evening, Nepal Police arrested Raju Singh Suwal, the owner of the famous nightclub Lord of Drinks (LOD) in Thamel from Baluwatar in Kathmandu. His other partner Rudil Ballabh Shrestha has also been arrested today. The Lalitpur District Court had issued an arrest warrant against Suwal and Shrestha, the owners of LOD. Kathmandu District Police has handed over Suwal to Lalitpur District Police. In the Office of The Company Registrar, the names of only Rudil Ballabh Shrestha and Raju Singh Suwal have been mentioned as operators. Therefore, arrest warrants were issued against them.

After a 16-year-old girl who entered LOD was found to have been raped in Sanepa on June 14, the police have taken action against the owners. 50-year-old Sudan Bahadur Koirala, whose permanent residence is Pokhara but who currently lives in Lalitpur, was arrested on the charge of raping the girl. According to Head of Lalitpur Police Range, Superintendent of Police (SP) Siddhi Bikram Shah, Koirala has been accused of raping the girl, who is originally from Udayapur, and currently lives in Koteshwar. Koirala had an office in Bagdol. After receiving a complaint that he had raped the girl by taking her to the same office, he was arrested and an investigation was started. "Especially night clubs have been seen to operate contrary to their prescribed standards. So, it is necessary to take action against them," said SP Shah.

Also, on June 25, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police arrested three people initially for dealing in LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), a rare drug, in Nepal. Police investigations have confirmed that foreign nationals are active in the capital in dealing in LSD in nightclubs and dance bars, as officials of NCB arrested a gang including two foreigners involved in the LSD drug trade on June 25. The police claim that 10,131 LSD papers were recovered from them and this is the biggest recovery in Nepal so far.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Govind Thapalia, head of NCB, claimed that such drugs were being sold for trance parties in night clubs and various hotel-resorts in Thamel. The police arrested Davit Minadio, an Italian citizen who was selling LSD from abroad, from Thamel.

His accomplices Raj Gautam and Czech Republic's Martina Serna were also arrested by the police. After that, another agent, Mukhiya Gurung through Sugam Mainali was selling this drug in the clubs and restaurants of Thamel, according to the information provided by the police at the press conference. They were also arrested. Because of this, the night clubs of Kathmandu are under surveillance. Methamphetamine and cocaine were also recovered from the Italian citizen who was arrested from Thamel.

According to the police, cocaine is generally not consumed in the Nepali market and international gangs have started dealing in such drugs targeting foreign tourists and those who often go to clubs. Mukhiya Gurung is a person who was earlier arrested with Yaba drugs and was released after spending 27 months in jail. His associates Dawa Tamang and Nara Bahadur Tamang have also been arrested by the police. According to the police, a single LSD paper was being sold for Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 in Nepal. According to the police, a very wealthy group buys the drug and groups that go to nightclubs and dance bars are the customers. According to the police, the illegal market value of the drugs seized on June 25 is around Rs 40 million. "The children of the wealthy people trick their parents and participate in such trance parties," said a source at the NCB.

According to the police, such drugs come from Bangkok to Nepal via India. According to the police, these types of drugs are traded secretly by forming groups through social media, and rich people and tourists also participate in the trance parties. According to the police officer, Nepalis also go to such parties, and the group is made up of teenagers who regularly go to dance bars and nightclubs. As a result, police claim that nightclubs and dance bars are becoming a hub for immoral and criminal activities.

 
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