Kathmandu, August 20

Police have arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in forging documents of government and non-government organisations and selling them to students aspiring for abroad studies.

According to Teku-based Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Binod Baruwal, 33, of Nagarjun Municipality-2 and Renu Lama, 33, of Ward No 5 of the same municipality, were taken into custody from different places of Kathmandu today.

Acting on a tip-off that some persons were running forgery racket by faking stamps and documents of various government and non-government agencies, sleuths deployed from MPCD swung into action and held the duo with substantial evidence.

Superintendent of Police Sushil Singh Rathaur said Baruwal previously operated Mezuki Japanese Language Institute in Kathmandu before switching to forgery business. While he operated the institute, he came into contact with many students wishing for abroad studies and lured them of procuring documents for their visa application. Police have also seized 17 passports of various persons, four registers with details of students, 39 fake stamp seals of different government and non-government organisations, 11 pen drives and a cache of fake academic credentials and other documents.

According to MPCD, they had been operating the forgery racket on their own and were not associated with any authorised institutions at home or abroad. Earlier, some education consultancies were found remaining out of contact with aspiring students after collecting money from them and holding their passports.

MPCD handed over them to Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, for further investigation. Though police claim to have stepped up action against forgery rackets, gullible aspirants for abroad studies and migration continue to be duped.