Kathmandu, September 14

Nepal Police arrested Prerana Laxmi Malla, 27, and Biraj Yadav, 29, of Tulsipur, Dang, who were on the Interpol watch list, from Kanchanpur on August 30.

The suspects of transnational human trafficking racket were brought to the capital and produced before Kathmandu District Court for trial. Interpol France had issued a diffusion notice for the alleged human traffickers on the request of National Central Bureau, Kathmandu.

“Nepal Police, in coordination with Interpol, has managed to arrest 32 persons through the issuance of Red Notice and diffusion since 2003. They include an Australian, an Indian, two American, three Chinese, a Korean and 24 Nepali nationals. Of the 24 Nepalis, 16 were held and brought home from various countries while eight were arrested in Nepal,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Shailesh Thapa Kshetri, Nepal Police spokesperson.

Among the ‘most wanted’ convicts and suspects are Sanjay Ismali, a murderer of Justice Rana Bahadur Bam; Jagadish Chand, a murderer of Jamim Shah; Raj Kumar Praja, a notorious rhino poacher, and Mina Lama and Shyam Kumar Lama, human trafficking convicts.

SSP Kshetri said criminals hiding abroad were facing a new challenge which had made it  difficult to get away with crimes after Nepal Police stepped up action against them by issuing Interpol notice for their arrest and subsequent prosecution.

“Altogether 53, including 29 Red Notices and 24 diffusion, are under implementation. Nepal Police issued Red Notice and diffusion against 14 and 11 persons in a short period of past four months. Earlier, the number of Interpol notice to be issued for the arrest of convicts and suspects were very nominal. With the increase in issuance of Interpol notice, the number of criminals arrested by the security agency, in association with Interpol, has also risen,” he informed.

Those against whom diffusion has been issued are 24 persons, including a Pakistani and an Indian national. Similarly, there are 29 Nepalis and an Indian national facing Red Notice. Most of them were involved in fraud, murder, rape, abduction, banking offence and smuggling.

“At a time when the world is increasingly becoming a global village, we need international support to arrest the absconding convicts and suspects who commit crimes in one country and flee to another country,” SSP Kshetri added.

National Central Bureau, a division of the concerned national police agency, serves as a contact point for Interpol in 192 member countries, enabling them to work together on cross-border crime investigation and exchange information related to criminals and suspects.

The Interpol circulates Red Notice for the purpose of arrest and subsequent deportation of criminals and suspects on the recommendation of member countries upon verification of their details. Diffusion is less formal than a Red Notice and is used to request the arrest or location of an individual or additional information in relation to a police investigation.

Superintendent of Police Umeshraj Joshi, chief of Interpol Section at Nepal Police headquarters, said, “Criminals and suspects are hunted down throughout the world on the basis of Red Notice and diffusion. Once an Interpol office of certain country locates the whereabouts of persons on the watch list, it informs the country where they should be prosecuted or jailed. The increase in issuance of Interpol notices and arrest of criminals are not a mere coincidence, it also reflects the activeness of the security agency.”

IGP Sarbendra Khanal has directed the concerned units to maintain close coordination with Interpol to ensure that convicts and crime suspects do not  escape at any cost.