Kathmandu: Hasta Gautam, a 52-year-old Nepali man residing in Texas, USA, has been arrested by the police for his involvement in human trafficking. The arrest comes after Gautam was found to have trafficked approximately 200 Nepali individuals to various foreign countries, collecting over Rs 20 million from his clients in the process, according to the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

Gautam is alleged to be the mastermind behind the human trafficking operation. He operated by deploying agents in several countries, including Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Latin America. The agents were tasked with facilitating the trafficking of Nepali individuals.

Earlier, the Bureau had initiated investigations and filed cases against three of Gautam's agents. Police have already rescued four victims of human trafficking linked to Gautam, while two others are still awaiting rescue, as confirmed by Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Bahadur Bista.

Complaints have been lodged detailing the plight of 13 individuals who were stranded under the pretext of being sent to various countries for employment. According to authorities, Gautam's agents would confiscate passports and mobile phones from their victims upon arrival in foreign countries and demand large sums of money from them.

In cases of non-compliance with their demands, the agents subjected the victims to physical and psychological abuse, and some were ultimately sold or left stranded. Gautam is currently in custody, and the police are continuing their investigation into the matter.