Human trafficking racket busted in Kathmandu

Kathmandu: In a significant crackdown, the Kathmandu Police Range apprehended nine individuals, including eight Indian nationals and one Nepali, on charges of orchestrating a human trafficking scheme that involved holding Indian nationals hostage. The perpetrators had duped their victims with false promises of facilitating their journey to the United States.

A special police team, led by Chief of Kathmandu Police Range SSP Bhupendra Khatri, successfully conducted a rescue operation in the Ratopul area, liberating 11 Indian nationals who had fallen prey to the human trafficking racket.

The victims were reportedly brought to Kathmandu under the pretense of being sent to the US. The arrested Indian nationals have been identified as Indra Singh Yadav, Nikun Gupta, Charanjit Singh, Ashok Kumar, Abdul Rahim, Manish Kumar Malhotra, Ravi Newade, and Ramchandra Sharma.

The identity of the Nepali individual who assisted them in creating fake documents has not been disclosed. The police have launched investigations into various charges, including human trafficking, transportation, kidnapping, and holding individuals hostage. The alleged mastermind behind the operation is identified as Indra Singh Yadav.

According to authorities, the hostages were coerced into soliciting additional funds from their families by being shown manipulated visuals, falsely indicating that they had reached Mexico. The Kathmandu Police Range revealed that the victims were pressured to request money from their families, claiming that the cost per person to be sent to the US required INR 4 million.

The arrested individuals will face legal proceedings, and the police are determined to dismantle the entire network behind this heinous crime. Further updates on the investigation are awaited as authorities work to ensure justice for the victims and dismantle such criminal operations.