KC, a Nayab Subba (non-gazetted staff) at the ministry, who was arrested on January 21 for allegedly procuring fake Nepali passports to foreigners is learnt to have confessed his involvement in the passport racket. KC had joined the ministry in January, 2009. Two other cases of Nepali passports held by foreign nationals have surfaced within two weeks. [break]
KC disclosed that he himself completed the entire process of counterfeiting Nepali passports for foreigners, taking advantage of his position as the record keeper at the passport section at the ministry. Kishor Shrestha, who is considered the “local man” for international Nepali passport racket, allegedly abetted KC in the racket.
The 40-year-old from Taudaha in Kathmandu has stated in his latest statement to the District Attorney that he forged the signature of a section officer Surendra Thapa on all fake passports. An investigative team from Metropolitan Police Range Kathmandu studied the issuance log on Tuesday and started verifying the facts disclosed by KC.
According to an investigative official, KC mentioned in his statement that Shrestha, who had been running ´Kishor & Kishor Consultancy´ for three years in front of Sheetal Niwas which housed the ministry till last year, could have colluded with other staff at the ministry before he joined. Shrestha, a resident of Syangja, is at large.
KC said in his statement that he received Rs 15,000 for each passport.
According to the police, ministry officials claimed that KC had cheated on them and also accepted that it was their mistake to fully trust him, sources said.
Police said the real story would unravel after arresting Shrestha, who might have worked for one Bikram in New Delhi, India, from whom five Afghans as told to Malaysian prosecutors bought Nepali passports for 5000 US dollars each. The Afghan nationals were deported from Jakarta, Indonesia, on January 15 after they were found to be carrying Nepali passports. They have been held by Malaysian Immigration since. They had boarded a flight from Chennai in India on January 3 to Kuala Lumpur and then to Jakarta.
Meanwhile, the police have started interrogating two Bangladeshi nationals -- Imam Ali and Kamron Ismal -- who were arrested on January 31 by the immigration at Tribhuvan International Airport with Nepali passports.
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