KATHMANDU: The instances of abuse of tourist visas in Nepal are getting more common. Lately, most of the international criminals are found to have been using the easily available tourist visa to execute criminal activities covertly.

The foreigners coming to Nepal in five-months long visas are found to have been executing criminal activities ranging from Bank and ATM hacking, theft, human trafficking, sexual abuse, murder, kidnapping, drug abuse and poaching. Lately, the Chinese nationals are in the lead of such criminal activities carried out here.

Last week, Nepal Police ran an operation at various places and detained 122 Chinese nationals over their ‘illegal stay and involvement in the cyber scam.’

This is the first time the foreigners are detained in such a large number. Nepal Police has sought 5 days permit from the court to probe and file a case against their ‘illegal behavior.’

DIG Niraj Shahi, the Director at Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) claims that those Chinese nationals had been in Nepal with the criminal intent.

“We are probing them in the case relating to ‘indecent behavior’ of the foreign national.” Shahi says, “They might have been involved in cybercrime as well.”

However, the security experts do not regard the issue so simple.

“The government of China has shown its interest in it, Chinese police is involved in the raid and a large number of Chinese nationals are arrested,” says Hemanta Malla former DIG of Nepal Police, “ It may not be a mere criminal incident, the thread might go to the national interest of China.”

There are grounds for such speculations: the Chinese government known for mumming in the minor incidents has come with its opinion in the press meet.

Speaking at the regular press meet, the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, Geng Shuang, had mentioned the operation as a very significant incident.

The spokesperson said that the arrested are the people involved in cross border cyber fraud. He mentioned the arrest as the co-work of Nepal Police and Chinese Police. Former DIG Malla also regards this Chinese concern significant.

“The detained can be the people with a political or national concern of China,” Former DIG Malla says adding, “They might be the pro-democracy protestors of Hong Kong or Uygur and the anti-government activists.”

The government seems to be in the process of filing a suit against ‘overstay’ and deport them to China. However, there is no extradition treaty to make room for this act so far.

According to the police sources, had there been a valid treaty between the countries the convicted could have been extradited but the government is planning to take to deportation in the absence of extradition treaty.

This is the latest incident of Chinese civilians’ involvement in criminal activities in Nepal; such incidents are getting more common these days.

Some instances of Chinese national’s involvement in criminal activities:

ATM hacking

On Sept. 1, 2019, Nepal police arrested 5 Chinese nationals who were executing ATM pin hacking of 15 different banks to empty the money deposited there.

One more was added to the list the next day. 3 Nepalis were detained for their assistance in the hacking.

According to Uttam Raj Subedi, an SSP and the chief of Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, mentions that the person behind the ATM pin hacking was also a Chinese.

Gold smuggling

Nepal police arrested 3 Chinese involved in 8 kg gold smuggling on Nov. 18.

Before it on Aug. 5, the police had arrested a Chinese national coming from Hong Kong at TIA with 4 kg gold.

Prior to it, 3.3 kg gold was seized from 3 Chinese nationals in April.

A Chinese woman had been under arrest from TIA with 3 kg gold on May 6, 2018. This arrest had succeeded in the detaining of Chinese nationals on Dec. 23, 2017, and Sept. 3, 2017, in a similar allegation. The police had arrested a Chinese national at TIA with 2 KG gold on Dec. 2017.

Similarly, the main alleged in the 88kg gold smuggling seized from Thamel on Sept.3 2017, was also a Chinese.

Dollar smuggling

Nepal police detained a Chinese national with US$122,400 from TIA on Oct. 29, 2018.

Similarly, one more Chinese woman was arrested on a money smuggling allegation on Sept. 29, 2017. She was arrested with US$ 46480. A few days before it, on Sept. 20, Nepal Police had arrested a Chinese citizen with US$ 50,000, he was arrested from Rasuwa.

Poaching

3 Chinese were detained on poaching instances on Oct. 2017. The arrested had seahorse and the tiger skin with them. One of the detained ones was a proprietor of Kathmandu One Hotel.

The police had confiscated 300 grams seahorse, 90 grams yarsha gumba, 330 grams orchids and 6.5 kilograms of various herbal products from them.

Nepal police had arrested two Chinese nationals with 1.62 kg pangolin from TIA on Jan.29, 2019.

Human trafficking

A new form of human trafficking in China seemed to get chronic with the 10 racketeers’ arrest in Nepal. The arrested were alleged of promoting human trafficking for getting Nepali young girls as brides to the Chinese. The police arrested 6 Nepalis and 4 Chinese in the incident. For each of such marriages, the broker got up to 1 million.

A broker in Kathmandu was allocated 100-200 thousand whereas the broker taking the bride to the concerned party got around 80 thousand while the girl’s parents got 50-60 thousand rupees or a new phone or other goods, sources involved in the probe claim

Theft in plane

Two Chinese nationals were arrested in the theft allegation on Aug. 25, 2019. They were arrested in Kathmandu while they were on their way to Istanbul through Turkish Airlines.

These incidents of the last three years are some of the representative cases of how the foreigners even the citizens from the closest neighbor create security threats. According to the police, more than 200 Chinese are arrested for their involvement in criminal activities in the last 5 years.

Most of them were indulged in money-laundering, trafficking, wildlife smuggling, hacking and illegal medical practices.

Involvement of Chinese in criminal activities

According to the police officials involved in the investigation, the Chinese nationals’ involvement in criminal activities in Nepal hails back from 2003.

First, they were found involved in the trafficking of red sandalwood and wildlife smuggling.

“After 2003, the red sandalwood smuggling was at its peak. The sandalwood coming from India used to be smuggled to China,” recalls former AIGP Jaya Bahadur Chand.

“Then, the Chinese seemed to be involved in Nepali team,” Chand tracks the past of their involvement saying,” later, they expanded their involvement in dollar and gold smuggling.”

Chand figures out that the criminal activities of Chinese nationals are at a rise, continuously expanding. He accused them of picking Nepal as a haven for their organized crime.

Why are Chinese criminal activities on the rise?

Four years before, KP Oli led government then, had paved room for the Chinese visitors offering them free visa facilities. This, as anticipated, triggered the number of Chinese tourists in Nepal.

“Together with the increase of the visitors, the criminal activities also got enhanced.” AIGP Chand said.

Sailes Thapa Chhetri, DIG and the spokesperson of Nepal Police reiterates the police commitment to curb the crime irrespective of the criminal’s nationality. “Whatever their nationality, the criminals shall be booked in the record and sued as per the law,” Chhetri said.

Despite the police commitments, citing the nature of the criminals and their access to the advanced technology, the challenges to curbing such activities seek further support and coordination from other international organizations working in a similar area.