Nepal Police Bust Human Trafficking Rings, Rescue Victims from Forced Prostitution and Online Scams

Kathmandu. The Nepal Police Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau has arrested four individuals involved in forced prostitution and trafficking victims abroad under the guise of foreign employment.

The Bureau conducted operations across various locations in the capital, rescuing eight people, including five minors, and exposing gangs involved in sexual exploitation and forcing victims into online scams in Cambodia.

According to Bureau Information Officer and Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajan Limbu, two individuals were arrested for renting a shack in Kalanki, Kathmandu, to force minors and women into prostitution. The arrested are 56-year-old Sushma Tamang from Bhimeshwor Municipality-4, Dolakha, and 42-year-old Hari Shamsher Rayamajhi from Thakre Rural Municipality-7, Dhading.

They had rented a three-room shack in Kalanki, where they used coercion and threats to force five minors and three women to engage in sexual acts with three to four customers daily.

A police team raided the shack on Chait 24 and safely rescued all eight victims. The Kathmandu District Court has granted a five-day remand for Tamang and Rayamajhi to continue the investigation.

In another incident, the Bureau arrested 30-year-old Basna Maya Yonjan from Bakaiya Rural Municipality-12, Makwanpur, for forcing a victim into prostitution under the pretext of providing work at a snack bar. Yonjan had coerced the victim into sexual activities with customers at a snack bar operated by Buddha Tamang in Thaiba, Lalitpur, under the guise of a cook and waiter job.

After the hotel closed, on Ashoj 25, she took the victim to 'Ke Khani Khajaghar' in Harisiddhi, Lalitpur, under the guise of dishwashing and cleaning work, where she again forced the victim into prostitution through threats and the lure of 500 rupees per customer, police stated.

The Bureau team rescued the victim on Mangsir 1, and Yonjan, who had been absconding, was arrested from Kathmandu on Chait 23. The Lalitpur District Court has granted a seven-day remand for further investigation.

Similarly, 23-year-old Ayush KC from Chandragiri Municipality-14, Naikap, has been arrested for trafficking a person to Cambodia under the false promise of sending them to Hong Kong. KC had extorted 300,000 rupees from the victim, promising a waiter job in a Hong Kong hotel with a monthly salary of 100,000 rupees.

On Poush 13, the victim was taken from Kathmandu through Delhi and Vietnam to Cambodia, where they were held hostage in a company. Investigations revealed that the victim's passport, mobile phone, and cash were confiscated, and they were forced to engage in online scams under duress.

After the company was raided, the victim managed to escape while the company was relocating and returned to Nepal with the help of a Nepali national in Cambodia. Based on the victim's complaint, KC was arrested in Kathmandu on Chait 24, and the court has granted a five-day remand for further investigation.