Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, January 1:

Police yesterday busted a gang of 11 foreigners, nine Cameroonians and two South Africans, involved in production of counterfeit US Dollar bills and conducting illegal drug business, from Kathmandu.

The police has seized a machine used to produce Dollar notes, negative-plate, two cartoons of counterfeit US Dollar bills and a bottle of chemical used to produce the bills. The group had also been engaged in circulating the fake bills in four countries including Nepal, India, China and Thailand, DSP Dibas Udas at the Narcotic Drug Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU), said. Udas said that the group had been circulating the fake currency in business activities like buying commodities in big commercial places, buying alcohol in disco theques. An official at the NDCLEU said that they had raided a house in Handigaon on a tip-off that a group of foreigners were engaged in drug business but later it was revealed that they were also engaged in producing counterfeit Dollar bills.

A joint team of Kamalpokhari Ward Police Office and the NDCLEU also seized 17 capsules of heroin. It was also revealed they were preparing to export them to India, China and Thailand.

Those arrested are Mirlbell Fri, Ghi, Evelyn Ngemenang, Ngwa Siaka, Chantile, Jvo Gateh, Cooper Fon, Emmanuel Neba and Nforka all from Cameroon and South Africans Demmy Peter Aolabo and Nigerian Chegu Thomas. According to the NDCLEU, the group had been functioning from Kathmandu for about two years and that many members of the same gang had come to Kathmandu several times.