Kathmandu, April 27

After the Central Investigation Bureau initiated a crackdown on bogus doctors under ‘Operation Quack’, another entity of Nepal Police has launched a massive hunt for bogus engineers, who used fake academic credentials to obtain engineering degrees.

The Metropolitan Police Crime Division, the prime investigating agency in the Kathmandu Valley, rounded up five alleged fake engineers and members of a forgery racket from Lalitpur yesterday.

The detainees are Ankit Khadka (29) and Subit Khadka (44) of Lalitpur, Hitesh Singh (28) of Doti, Pujan Kumar Khatri (26) of Khotang and Sanat Shrestha (26) of Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu.

SSP Sarbendra Khanal, MPCD in-charge, said a micro-level investigation and admissible evidences led to their arrest. “Acting on intelligence that some persons were involved in producing and distributing counterfeit engineering certificates and other documents required for registration of engineers at Nepal Engineering Council, we carried out the operation,” he informed.

As per Nepal Engineering Council Act-1999, any person who commits an offence in contravention of this law is liable to a fine of up to Rs 3,000 or three months in prison or both, along with cancellation of his/her registration.

The country has more than 24,000 registered engineers.

Earlier, CIB had nabbed as many 17 fake doctors. Some of them were arrested while sitting for the licencing test conducted by the Nepal Medical Council.

Officials said they were committed to taking the operation to a logical end.

Those who earned medical degree by tampering with their academic certificates or producing bogus credentials are liable to punishment under Section 26 and 27 of Nepal Medical Council Act, 2020.