Texas Man Hasta Gautam Arrested in Nepal for Smuggling Over 200 Nepalis into the USA

Police have arrested a man from Rukum, Nepal, who is currently living in the United States of America, for trafficking Nepali people to various foreign countries. Hasta Gautam, 52, currently residing in Texas, collected over Rs 20 million from his clients to send them to different countries for jobs, as reported by the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police.

Gautam is the mastermind behind the trafficking and has thus far trafficked approximately 200 Nepali people to the US. He trafficked these Nepali people by deploying agents in various countries, the police added, stating that he had deployed five agents in different countries, including Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and Latin America.

Earlier, the Bureau had initiated investigations after registering five cases against three of the agents. The police have rescued four people who were victimized by Gautam, and two others are yet to be rescued, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Gyan Bahadur Bista.

“Complaints have been filed mentioning that 13 people have been stranded under the pretext of sending them to various countries for employment,” he mentioned.

Gautam’s agents confiscate passports and mobile phones from their clients after taking them to various countries and demand a significant amount of money from them, Bista added. The agents used to subject them to torture, and if they refused to comply with their demands, they would sell them and strand them. After obtaining a seven-day custody remand for Gautam from the court, the police have been conducting further investigations into the matter, shared Bista. (RSS)