Indian nationals topped the list of foreign nationals arrested in Nepal for various crimes this year, followed by those from China, reported The Kathmandu Post citing police data.
Nepal Police Headquarters stated that 92 foreign nationals from 20 countries have been charged with criminal activities this year. Of these, 27 belonged to India while 22 were Chinese citizens.
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According to the Nepal police, the number of Indians committing crimes in the neighbouring country could still be higher because they can escape arrest owing to open border and linguistic and cultural similarities.
Records also revealed that even though Indians topped the crime list, Chinese nationals were among those who committed serious crimes, including murder. Police have charged two Chinese nationals with murder this year, while there are no such cases against any other foreign nationals.
Of the total 27 Indians arrested this fiscal year, 13 have been charged with customs evasion, five with dealing in counterfeit currency, while others were involved in dealing in contraband drugs, extortion, kidnapping, and forgery.
Meanwhile, Thai nationals stood third with five arrested for drug smuggling and one for dealing in the counterfeit currency this year.
In 2021-22, police arrested a total of 108 foreigners from 41 countries. Among them, 31 were Indians, followed by 16 Chinese and 13 Bangladeshis.
Likewise, 30 foreigners from 14 different countries were detained in total in 2020–2021. They were accused of smuggling, forgery, sexual assault, and people trafficking, among other offenses. On pedophilia-related charges, two people—one American and one French—were detained.
