Kathmandu, January 19
Three people have been caught by the police for illegally holding at least 731 passports from different hotel rooms in Kathmandu.
Among the arrested include Min Bahadur Somare, 38, of Gulmi, Sher Narayan Shrestha, 44, of Sindhuli, and Lokjan Khadka, 44, of Kanchanpur. They had been staying in two hotels - Hotel Sinama at Gongabu and Gulmi-Palikot Guest House at Mitranagar - in Kathmandu.
Acting on a tip-off, police had been keeping a close eye on the suspicious behaviour of these people. Yesterday, police launched a sudden search operation of their rooms and retracted the passports.
Superintendent of Police of District Police Range Kathmandu Dinesh Raj Mainali said the seized passports were original copies and were issued to other people. But, police are baffled as to how they managed to possess so many passports and the purpose of doing so.
"It was quite unexpected even for the police. We are investigating why and how such a few people managed to possess such a large number of passports owned by other people," Mainali said.
Police are also collecting information about people who owned the passport. Meanwhile, police have handed over the passports to the Department of Foreign Employment for investigation.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 20, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
