KATHMANDU: Nepal Police has made significant strides in combatting human trafficking, with the arrest of 89 individuals involved in such cases over the past six months of the current fiscal year, spanning from July 17, 2023, to January 14, 2024.

Among those apprehended, 67 are men and 22 are women.

During this period, the police have filed 79 cases, leading to the prosecution of 149 individuals.

The Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau, based in Babarmahal, operates as a specialized unit within Nepal Police, dedicated to preventing and controlling crimes related to human trafficking.

The Bureau reported that 236 individuals were rescued from potential trafficking situations during this period.

Among the rescued individuals, 150 are women, 26 are men, and 60 are girls.

Nepal remains highly vulnerable to both internal and cross-border human trafficking.

Deputy Inspector General Bhim Prasad Dhakal, the central spokesperson for Nepal Police, highlighted that many Nepalis become victims of human trafficking due to false promises of employment or illegal settlement in various countries, including India, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, as well as different European and African nations.

Additionally, Nepal Police has made significant strides in digital services, having provided character certificates to 550,060 individuals online in the past seven months of the current fiscal year.

During this period, a total of 710,944 Nepalis and foreign nationals submitted online applications seeking Police Reports (character certificates) from Nepal Police.

Of these applications, 144,212 were canceled, while 16,672 are currently in process.

The Criminal Record System Section at Police Headquarters oversees the issuance of police reports, operating under the Department of Crime Investigation.

Department Chief, Additional Inspector General Tek Bahadur Tamang, affirmed that police reports are typically provided within five days of receiving the application.

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