Complaints about sending people on visit visas to countries including Dubai in a gang setting by charging 20,000 to 40,000 rupees per person.
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The Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Tirtharaj Bhattarai has been dragged into the investigation of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority on the allegation of setting up visit visas in collaboration with human traffickers.
Joint Secretary Bhattarai, who was taken to the Ministry of Home Affairs as the Chief Immigration Officer of Tribhuvan International Airport on Tuesday evening, was detained by the Commission for questioning on Wednesday and released in the evening on the condition that he appear on Thursday.
Bhattarai was detained at the Tangal office of the authority and was released on the condition that he appear on Thursday, an officer of the authority said. "There was a complaint of sending people on visit visas to Dubai and other countries by charging 20,000 to 40,000 rupees per person. Bhattarai was detained for questioning during the investigation, but during the preliminary investigation, Bhattarai was detained for questioning," said an official of the Authority. The Authority is investigating the matter after receiving a complaint about charging Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per person. During the
investigation, people including joint secretary Bhattarai and other employees of the airport were drawn into the scope of the investigation. During the investigation, the authority took him into custody after finding facts that there was collusion in the setting of visit visas even by employees.
Authority has raided the airport immigration on Wednesday and seized electronic equipment (devices) and other documents as well. During that time, the authority also seized devices and other documents from a travel agency from Kathmandu and from the houses of two other people in Bhaktapur. Khagendra Subedi of Bhaktapur, Kavita Paudel working in CIT College and Balakrishna Khadka, owner of travel agency Greenline Holidays in Hattisar, have also been seized by the authority, including mobile phones and laptops.
The Ministry of Home Affairs pulled the chief immigration officer Bhattarai on Tuesday night and transferred the chief district officer of Panchthar Bishnu Prasad Koirala in his place. The next day, on Wednesday afternoon, Bhattarai was taken into custody by the authorities. According to
sources, Bhattarai has stated that he is not involved in this during the initial interrogation. Bhattarai was also involved in the Tripal procurement case when he was the Local Development Officer (LDO) of Kathmandu during the devastating earthquake of 2072. He was suspended in that case and returned to government service after being acquitted on 4th Chait 2074 by the decision of the special court. This time, he was pulled into the investigation on the allegation of arranging a visit visa in collaboration with a human trafficker.
