Homeland Security has claimed that the seven Nepalis were involved in serious criminal activities such as sexual exploitation, wire fraud, drug trafficking, and violent assault.
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The US Department of Homeland Security has placed seven Nepalis on its list of worst offenders. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed seven Nepalis on its list of 'worst offenders' after an investigation. They have been involved in serious criminal activities such as sexual exploitation, wire fraud, drug trafficking, and violent assault. The list includes the names of Rikesh Thapa, Naveen Shah, Tekan Kandel, Ratul Singh, Saynam Ghimire, Anil Pantha, and Santosh Darji, as listed on the Homeland Security website. Among those on the list, Rikesh was arrested in Louisiana on charges of wire fraud. Naveen, Ratul and Anil were arrested in Texas on different dates. Naveen was arrested by ICE on charges of fraud, assault and theft, Ratul on charges of robbery and Anil on charges of luring a minor through social media, according to Homeland Security. Tekan was arrested in Greeley, Colorado, on charges of sexual exploitation and kidnapping of a minor. Similarly, Sayanam was arrested by ICE in New York on charges of sexual abuse. Santosh was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, on charges of dangerous drugs, identity theft and vehicle theft. Homeland Security did not mention the ages of the seven, the status of their cases, the process through which they arrived in the United States, and where they were held.
The United States has placed 269 people, including Nepalis, on the list of ‘most dangerous’ criminals in South Asian countries. Of these, 139 are Indians, 60 are Pakistanis, 20 are Bhutanese, 29 are Afghans, 3 are Sri Lankans, and 11 are Bangladeshis.
In a one-year period from January 2025 to January 2026, ICE arrested 393,000 immigrants living in the United States illegally. Of these, 229,000 were found to be involved in foreign petty and major crimes, according to ICE.
According to Homeland Security data, 5,000 were placed on the list of ‘most dangerous’ criminal immigrants in December last year alone. Homeland Security has said it places those convicted of violent crimes such as murder, rape, child sexual abuse, kidnapping, and robbery on a list of "most dangerous" offenders.
