122 Chinese Men Detained in Nepal on Charges of Cyber-crime and Bank Fraud

KATHMANDU: Nepal police on Tuesday detained 122 Chinese men and women in what seems like the biggest crime gig by foreigners. A police officer, Hobindra Bogati, said the Chinese embassy was aware of the raids and have fully supported the detentions. The chief of police of capital Kathmandu stated that the suspects were raided on Monday when the police got info that some Chinese visa holding foreigners were engaged in suspicious activity. The police chief, Uttam Subedi said, “This is the first time that so many foreigners have been detained for suspected criminal activities.”

These people were suspected of various cyber crimes like hacking into bank cash machines and more. These 122 men and women are held in different police stations with their passports and laptops confiscated. Another police officer, Hobindra Bogati, told that the Chinese embassy in Nepal was aware of the raids and have fully supported the detentions. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, in Beijing, said Nepal and Chinese police have agreed to be cooperative in the investigations and China is willing to increase law-enforcement cooperation with its neighbor.

Chinese people in recent times are increasingly being detained in Asian countries on suspicions of fraud and other illegal activities. In the Philippines last week, 342 Chinese workers were arrested, caught in an unlicensed gambling operation. Some Chinese citizens were also arrested smuggling gold while in September, five were arrested for stealing money from bank cash machines. Even though the rate of criminal activities by the Chinese in Nepal is at a high rate, the state affairs between the two countries couldn’t have been better.

China has increased FDI in Nepal in recent years, working on the development of roads, power plants, and hospitals. More than 134,000 Chinese tourists visited Nepal between January and October this year, up 9.2 percent from the same period in 2018, according to Nepal Tourism Board data. During a visit to Nepal by President Xi Jinping in October, Nepal and China signed a treaty to work together and provide mutual assistance on criminal matters.