Nepal Police have arrested six individuals accused of scamming people through false immigration schemes, including in the United States. The suspects allegedly defrauded victims of large sums of money by falsely promising immigration opportunities to various countries. These fraudulent schemes have targeted many Nepalis who aspire to immigrate abroad, particularly to the U.S., Australia, Japan, and Europe.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Saru Pariyar (24) from Gorkha, James Rana (32) from Kanchanpur, Rekha Tuladhar (34) from Kirtipur, Rabi Khanal (27) from Dhading, Lalit Bahadur Ewaram (40) from Taplejung, and Dipesh Subba (33) from Taplejung. All of them were residing in different parts of Kathmandu at the time of their arrest.
According to police investigations, each suspect targeted victims with fraudulent job offers in different countries. Saru Pariyar promised to send an individual to Australia and collected NPR 250,000. James Rana assured a victim of a job in Croatia and took NPR 300,000. Rekha Tuladhar falsely guaranteed employment in Japan, scamming four victims out of NPR 1.32 million. Rabi Khanal took NPR 1.4 million from a victim by falsely offering immigration to the United States. The biggest fraud was carried out by Lalit Bahadur Ewaram and Dipesh Subba, who scammed another victim out of NPR 5.3 million (approximately $37,500 USD) with fake promises of U.S. employment.
After receiving multiple complaints from victims, the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office (Teku) launched an operation to track down the suspects. They were arrested from different locations across Kathmandu. Following their arrest, they have been handed over to the Department of Foreign Employment (Tahachal, Kathmandu) for further investigation and legal proceedings.
In January, Nepal Police arrested a man accused of scamming individuals by falsely promising to send them to the United States. The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Surendra B.K. from Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality-7 in Gorkha, allegedly defrauded a single victim of approximately $75,000.
Cases of fraudsters promising fake U.S. immigration have been increasing in Nepal, with scammers exploiting people’s aspirations to move abroad for better opportunities. Many victims are lured with false assurances of work visas, student visas, or permanent residency in the U.S. in exchange for large sums of money.
Additionally, human traffickers have been facilitating illegal migration by smuggling Nepalis into the U.S. through Mexico. Reports indicate that individuals desperate to enter the U.S. are paying up to $100,000 per person for this dangerous and illegal route. Many of them undertake perilous journeys through multiple countries, facing high risks of arrest, detention, and even death.
The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 3,690 Nepali nationals attempting to enter the United States without visas during the last fiscal year 2024, primarily through the U.S.-Mexico border with the assistance of human traffickers.
According to data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), around 9,000 Nepalis have been recorded in nationwide U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) encounters during President Joe Biden’s tenure. Under the previous Trump administration, a total of 1,850 Nepalis were recorded in USBP encounters over four years.
In fiscal year 2024, spanning from October 2023 to September 2024, 3,690 Nepalis were recorded in USBP encounters, an increase from 3,140 in fiscal year 2023. In October 2024, the number of Nepalis recorded was 440, and in November, the number dropped to 300.
From 2014 to 2022, only 5,180 Nepalis were recorded in USBP encounters over a span of nine years. In stark contrast, 6,830 Nepalis have been recorded in just 24 months since October 2022 (3,140 in fiscal year 2023 and 3,690 in fiscal year 2024). In the first two months of the current fiscal year (October-November 2024), 740 Nepalis were already recorded in USBP encounters.
During fiscal year 2022, 1,490 Nepalis were recorded at the U.S.-Mexico border, a sharp increase from 420 in fiscal year 2021. By comparison, under the previous Trump administration, 1,850 Nepalis were recorded in USBP encounters over four years: 650 in fiscal year 2017, 720 in 2018, 340 in 2019, and 140 in 2020.
In 2014, 460 Nepalis were recorded at the border, followed by 410 in 2015 and 550 in 2016. Many of these individuals reportedly paid thousands of dollars to smugglers to facilitate their entry into the U.S. Some were released into the country immediately, while others were detained or deported.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) categorizes border encounters into three distinct groups: apprehensions, inadmissibles, and expulsions.
Apprehensions refer to individuals temporarily detained by the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) after illegally crossing the border between ports of entry. These individuals may or may not be arrested under Title 8 regulations, and they retain the right to file for asylee status.
Inadmissibles are individuals who seek legal admission at official ports of entry but are deemed ineligible by officers of the Office of Field Operations (OFO) under Title 8. This category also includes those seeking humanitarian protection as well as individuals who voluntarily withdraw their admission applications. Like those apprehended, inadmissibles may also file for asylee status.
Expulsions involve migrants denied entry exclusively under Title 42, a measure implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. This policy was in effect from March 2020 to May 2023. During this period, USBP and OFO officers were authorized to expel individuals, returning them to their home country or the last non-U.S. location they had traveled through. Unlike other categories, those expelled under Title 42 were not afforded the opportunity to apply for asylum.
These encounters do not necessarily reflect the actual number of people attempting to cross the border. Some individuals make multiple crossings during the same fiscal year, meaning they appear more than once in the data. Others successfully enter without encountering any U.S. official.
Additional reporting by Kishor Panthi in New York.
Suraj Ghimire
View More PostsSuraj Ghimire is a Nepali journalist and the online editor of Khasokhas. He focuses on political, social, migration, and international issues. He has also worked with various national television networks.
