It was only after the Immigration Department investigated the suspicious activities of the visa holder that it was revealed that the foreign national had obtained the visa based on forged documents.
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It has been found that 10 foreign nationals who came to Nepal on tourist visas had obtained 'study visas' based on fake documents.
It was only after the Immigration Department investigated the activities of the people who had obtained the visas that it was revealed that the foreign nationals had obtained the visas based on fake documents. The Ministry of Education and Sports had recommended the Immigration Department to provide study visas to 8 Chinese and 1 Russian and 1 Korean national without double-checking the fake recommendation letter prepared by forging the letterhead of the Valmiki Vidyapeeth located on Exhibition Road.
Director General of the department, Ram Chandra Tiwari, admitted that one-year study visas were issued based on a letter from the Ministry of Education stating that they were studying at the Valmiki Vidyapeeth. However, during further investigation by the department, he said that it was revealed that the people who had obtained the visas had not come to study at the Vidyapeeth.
‘The gang had sent letters to the ministry in the name of the university for study visas to 10 foreigners by making fake documents, and based on that, we decided after the ministry requested the department to issue visas,’ Tiwari said. ‘When the department investigated out of suspicion, it was found that the letter said to have been sent from the university was fake. Now, we will investigate further and bring those involved in the crime to justice.’
On 6 Jestha 2083, a letter was written on behalf of ‘Principal Achyut Prasad Lamichhane’ on the letterhead of Valmiki University to the Volunteer Mobilization and Visa Recommendation Section of the Ministry of Education and Sports, recommending a 1-year ‘academic study visa’. It says, ‘A request has been sent to 10 foreign students who have passed the entrance exam (pre-admission exam) conducted by the Department of Sanskrit Literature, Nepal Sanskrit University, to be provided with study visas as per the rules of the first year of their regular admission to study Sanskrit literature for 2 years in this Valmiki Vidyapeeth from March 2026.’ The letter states that all of them are students of the Vidyapeeth. Not only that, along with the request for visas, a letter of proof of payment of Rs 70,840 per person was also sent to the ministry in the recommendation made to the ministry. On 1st Jestha, all ten students had also submitted a document stating that they had paid Rs 708,400 as a fee to the ministry, mentioning the letter head of Valmiki Vidyapeeth.
Based on the same letter, Bishnu Prasad Acharya, Officer of the Volunteer Mobilization and Visa Recommendation Branch of the Ministry of Education, raised comments on 20th Jestha and submitted an opinion that it would be appropriate to issue visas.
Rule 7 (1) of the Immigration Regulations 2051 states that ‘study visas may be granted to foreigners and their families who come to study, teach or do research in any educational institution in Nepal with the approval of the Government of Nepal’. Based on the same provision, Lok Bahadur Lopchan, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Education, approving the letter from the said branch, submitted the proposal for granting visas to Joint Secretary Rudra Prasad Adhikari on 21 Jestha for approval. On the same day, Joint Secretary Adhikari approved a letter recommending the Immigration Department to provide one-year study visas, referring to the letter from Valmiki Vidyapeeth. After that, 1-year study visas were issued to all ten people based on the recommendation of the ministry.
However, having doubts about this matter, the department wrote a letter to Valmiki Vidyapeeth on Wednesday, requesting more details about the foreign nationals who were issued visas. Immediately after the Valmiki Vidyapeeth, acting principal and professor of the university, Umesh Prasad Ghimire, informed the immigration department that 10 students who were issued visas by the immigration department on the recommendation of the ministry were not studying, it was revealed that foreign citizens had obtained student visas from the immigration department with the help of a gang that made fake documents.
The university revealed to the ministry on 6th Jestha that no recommendation letter had been sent on 6th Jestha. Similarly, the university, acting principal of the university, Ghimire, also revealed that no foreign students were currently enrolled in the university at the Acharya level, as was the case in its educational institution. The department then proceeded with the investigation.
During the investigation, the department took into custody Subodh Shukla, who prepared fake documents on behalf of the university and sent them to the ministry, and Chinese citizen Wang Jinnao, who obtained study visas on the basis of fake documents. Shukla is a local of Birgunj Metropolitan City-9, Parsa. The department has stated that nine other absconding individuals are also being sought.
Immigration Department Director Tikaram Dhakal said that the visas of the other nine individuals were issued a few days ago and the passport of the remaining Chinese was taken into custody on Thursday after being suspiciously kept. According to him, Shukla was initially called by phone and it was he who brought the Chinese woman. During initial interrogation, he admitted that he had prepared fake documents on his own computer and recommended her for a visa.
