All the three arrested are said to be part of a human trafficking racket

Kathmandu, June 15

Anti-trafficking bureau of Nepal Police has arrested three persons for their alleged involvement in human trafficking.

It is suspected that of the three arrestees, two are part of the human trafficking rackets run inside the country, and one is a member of an international human trafficking racket.

The anti-trafficking bureau had arrested Rahul Thapa, 36, of Khotang, and Lokman Rai, 44, of Sankhuwasabha on June 13. Both the accused were arrested following complaints filed against them by the victims of human trafficking, who were rescued from various places of Libya.

As many as 15 people, who had been trafficked to Libya around a year ago, were recently rescued with the support of International Organisation for Migration-Nepal and the Nepali Embassy in Egypt, following a police request to take initiative to save the victims. The Nepali Army’s peace keeping mission in Libya had also supported the rescue operation, according to police.

Police also said that traffickers had collected Rs 500,000 to Rs 800,000 from the victims promising them lucrative jobs. Both Thapa and Rai had been arrested by the police a year ago on similar charges, but the Supreme Court had later released them on Rs one million bail.

Similarly, police yesterday arrested Yogesh Sapkota, 26, of Meghang Municipality, Nuwakot. He is believed to be part of an international human trafficking racket. He was arrested on the charge of swindling a man of USD 22,000. This issue came to the surface after the victim filed a complaint against Sapkota.

Sapkota had swindled the man promising to send him to Canada. He had asked the victim to meet him in Delhi for the purpose, but the victim was looted at the hotel where he was staying. According to police, circumstantial evidences showed that the traffickers had also tried to steal the victim’s kidney, but failed to do so. The victim was rescued by his son.

Anti-trafficking bureau Chief DSP Anupam Shamser JBR said the police had been able to bust the human trafficking racket with the help of victims.