Nepal detains 122 Chinese on suspicion of financial crimes

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Police in Nepal said Tuesday that they have detained 122 Chinese nationals who are suspected of being involved in financial crimes.

Police official Shailesh Thapa said the suspects were detained Monday in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital.

Details of the cases were not released because the investigation was still open, but the suspects are likely to be presented before a judge to determine how long they can be held for investigation.

Among them were 116 men and eight women. They were held at different detention centres in Kathmandu.

Police were also investigating if they had violated immigration laws by overstaying their visas.

“As far as I know, these citizens are suspected of engaging in cross-border online fraud activities, and the cases are currently under investigation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “It is an important operation carried out by the police of China and Nepal. China is willing to strengthen co-operation with Nepal in various fields, including law enforcement, to jointly combat cross-border crimes and promote friendly exchanges between the two countries.”