KATHMANDU, May 12: A team of officials from the Metropolitan Police Range (MPR) arrested 12 Indian nationals from Hotel Yak and Yeti on Friday morning for swindling the locals by operating illegal networking business.
All 12 of the arrested are members of the 'Shine Group' which has been operating networking business in Nepal for months.
According to police, they were arrested at around 11:30 pm on Friday after complaints from the victims who reported the group of defrauding their money.
“Our initial investigation shows that the group operated by Indian nationals Rashid Nasim, Mahendra Singh and Girish Upadhyaya has been running the business since a long time in the capital,” newly appointed chief of the MPR, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Uttam Raj Subedi, told Republica.
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The victims filed complaints with the police stating that the group cheated them by creating fake accounts in a Dubai-based bank saying that the amount they provided to the group had been not only deposited there but also doubled. However, the victims were not allowed to withdraw their amount until six months. Police informed that the victims reported of being cheated a total of Rs 12.3 million.
The group claimed to provide five percent commission to anyone referring others to deposit their money with the group.
The police range said that six victims have so far filed complaints against the group while the number of victims is expected to rise.
“The group had been promising the promoters of their business as much as Rs 6 million,” SSP Subedi told Republica, “We have suspected that more people have fallen prey to this fraud.”
Sources from the Crime Investigation Bureau (CIB) said that the bureau received the information of a networking business event at the hotel and informed the police range.
According to the MPR, the promotion event in Hotel Yak and Yeti was supposed to start in the afternoon while the police were keeping a close watch from a day before.
The group had been sending emails to prospective clients in Nepal promising them of depositing double the amount they provide the group at the bank in Dubai.
According to the MPR, it had also sought the help of officials from the central bank and the Inland Revenue Department for the arrest as it involved monetary fraud.
Spokesperson of the MPR, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hobindra Bogati said, “The arrestees will face charges of fraud, organized crime, and cybercrime.”
