Kathmandu: The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office has discovered that the travel documents of 246 individuals, out of more than 1,500 youths going abroad on visit visas, were found to be fake. The investigation revealed that people were sent abroad for work, rather than visiting, by preparing fraudulent documents with the involvement of government employees.

The investigation, initiated in September, studied the documents of 1,512 people, and out of them, 246 had forged certificates, labor and relation certifications, police reports, and bank details, according to Office spokesperson Superintendent Rabindra Regmi.

Further investigation into the creation of such documents and how people were sent abroad based on counterfeit documents revealed that the fake documents were prepared through collusion. The office disclosed that agents, consultancies, and travel agencies, in complicity with government employees, paid airlines Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per person and immigration employees Rs 40,000 to Rs 55,000 per person to facilitate the process.

As a result, over 35 individuals, including agents and employees of travel agencies, airlines, and immigration, have been arrested. Among those arrested are Narabir Khadka, an officer at Tribhuvan International Airport's Immigration Office, who reportedly sent 300 people abroad through collusion. Other arrests include Manoj Tamang, the proprietor of Nima Chhiring Travels, and his brother-in-law Padam Lama. Investigations are ongoing, and charges related to document forgery and organized crime have been filed against the accused.