Nepalis Deported from US Handed Over to Police for Investigation

The Tribhuvan International Airport Immigration Office has handed over eight Nepali nationals deported from the United States to the police for further investigation. The deportees, including one woman and seven men, arrived in Nepal on a chartered flight on Wednesday morning.

According to Tirtharaj Bhattarai, Chief of the Immigration Office at the airport, the group consists of individuals aged between 22 and 47 years. The deportees have been identified as Sushma, Laxman, Sukumar, Himal, Mohan, Top Bahadur, Kamal Prakash, and Tirtha Bahadur. Their detailed identities have not yet been disclosed.

The police have taken the deportees into custody for questioning, as it is suspected that they may have traveled to the US through human smuggling networks. The Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau in Babarmahal is preparing to interrogate them to uncover details about their journey and the possible involvement of illegal agents.

SP Narendra Kunwar, spokesperson for the bureau, stated that the individuals are being questioned to determine how they reached the US and whether they were deceived or exploited by human traffickers. “They have now arrived at our office. We will inquire about how they went to the US, whether they were victims of fraud, and then hand them over to their families,” SP Kunwar explained.

The bureau clarified that the questioning is not aimed at taking legal action against the deportees but rather at gathering information about the smuggling networks that may have facilitated their illegal travel.

This comes as more Nepali deportees are expected to arrive in Nepal on regular flights from the US. Since Donald Trump’s presidency, 27 Nepalis have already been deported from the US. Under US law, deported individuals face penalties, but no legal action will be taken against them in Nepal.

The investigation aims to shed light on the operations of human smuggling gangs and prevent further exploitation of Nepali citizens seeking opportunities abroad.