Education consultancy operator held for fraud

Kathmandu, November 23

The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police today arrested the operator of an educational consultancy who allegedly swindled several persons with the promise of student visa to Canada and left them in the lurch.

DSP Raj Kumar Silwal said Sunita Tiwari Waiba, 37, of Shikharpur, Makwanpur, who had been residing in Naikap of Kathmandu, trafficked people under the cloak of her Putalisadak-based Webster Education Network Inc Pvt Ltd.

It was also found that she had been operating the education consultancy without obtaining approval of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, DSP Silwal said. Waiba used to lure persons aspiring to study abroad into her educational consultancy by publishing attractive advertisements in newspapers.

“She would collect amount ranging from seven lakh to 12 lakh rupees from each person and lead them to India by preparing bogus documents, convincing the victims that they would be sent to Canada via Delhi before leaving them in the lurch,” said DSP Silwal.

DSP Silwal said as many as 10 persons had lodged complaints against Waiba. Meanwhile, she has been charged with human trafficking. Kathmandu District Court has remanded her to a five-day judicial custody for further investigation into the case.

According to a CIB report, the web of trafficking for worst forms of slavery and sexual exploitation has gradually spread to African, European, and Latin and North American countries. Fraud educational consultancies, manpower and travel agents smuggle the victims abroad on tourist and fake visas with the assurance of lucrative job.

CIB warned that many unemployed women and girls were being trafficked out of the country under the cloak of foreign employment, marriage and abroad study. Bearing this in mind, it has launched a crackdown on the suspects.