BIRATNAGAR, Dec 22: Police raided two casinos in Biratnagar on Sunday night and arrested 20 Nepali nationals including casino managers, for illegally allowing Nepalis to enter and gamble.
The raids were conducted at Champion Zone Casino, operating inside Big Hotel, and Golden Casino, located in Ratna Hotel. Those arrested include Lokendra Bahadur Basnet, general manager of Golden Casino, and Ram Krishna Gautam, manager of Champion Zone Casino, along with other Nepali nationals.
Police raid five casinos in capital
Acting on a tip-off that Nepalis were inside the casinos on Sunday night, police carried out coordinated raids at both locations, according to the District Police Office (DPO) in Morang.
Spokesperson at the DPO in Morang Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kopila Chundal said investigations are underway, noting that some of those detained are casino employees. “After further investigation, those found to have entered or facilitated entry illegally will be prosecuted in accordance with the law,” she said.
Casinos in Nepal are legally prohibited from allowing Nepali citizens to enter. However, police said they had been receiving repeated information about Nepalis freely accessing casinos in Biratnagar.
