Kathmandu, June 26: Nepal’s immigration authorities and police have stepped up surveillance of foreign nationals in recent months after finding many visitors engaged in activities that violate their visa conditions. The intensified monitoring has led to a surge in arrests and deportations of foreigners involved in illegal activities.
Immigration Department Director Tikaram Dhakal said officials have become more proactive in identifying suspicious activities. “We detain and investigate foreigners involved in questionable activities, and those found guilty are deported,” he said.
Police have carried out several operations in Kathmandu’s Thamel area, a major tourist hub. On June 22, seven foreign women, five from Uganda and two from Vietnam, were arrested after allegedly harassing pedestrians, blocking walkways and engaging in obscene behavior. Earlier, on May 21, police arrested nine women from Vietnam, Bangladesh and Uganda for allegedly soliciting clients for prostitution.
Another operation on March 24 resulted in the arrest of 20 Ugandan women accused of indecent behaviour and solicitation. Although they were released on a Rs 10,000 bail by the Kathmandu District Administration Office, the Immigration Department later deported them and barred them from re-entering Nepal for one year. Officials said they had entered Nepal on tourist visas but were involved in commercial sex work.
Police suspect many more foreign women are engaged in similar activities in Thamel. In the past four months alone, 36 foreign women have been arrested there on prostitution-related charges.
Enforcement has also targeted visa misuse. On June 24, police arrested 24 Bangladeshi nationals from Sitapaila and Dallu after discovering they were working in garment factories despite entering Nepal on tourist visas. All were handed over to the Immigration Department. Dhakal said more than 20 other foreign nationals are currently in immigration custody.
Earlier, on June 4, police detained 15 Bangladeshi nationals accused of running an online blackmail racket from a hotel in Paknajol. Investigators said they created fake Facebook accounts using images of foreign models and women, then befriended Bangladeshi and Indian citizens before extorting money.
Police also arrested two Chinese nationals from Naxal on June 6. They had opened a company called RR Building Intro Technology and allegedly operated fake accounts through a live streaming application to deceive foreign and Indian users into sending money.
Authorities recently uncovered another case in which forged documents from Valmiki Vidyapeeth were used to obtain student visa recommendations for 10 foreign nationals.
Since the start of 2026, Nepal has deported 272 foreigners for illegal activities. In 2025, the country deported 523 foreign nationals, including 409 for overstaying their visas. Chinese, Bangladeshi, American, British and Pakistani nationals accounted for the largest share of deportations. Many had been convicted of visa violations, drug trafficking, human trafficking, organised crime, foreign exchange offences, or other criminal activities.
The Immigration Department has also expanded its Foreign National Management Information System, linking more than 1,500 organisations, including hotels, airlines, travel agencies and money exchange operators, to improve monitoring and information sharing.
Dhakal said the goal is not only to enforce immigration laws but also to protect foreign visitors, prevent crime and support Nepal’s tourism industry. Immigration authorities also refused entry to 116 people from 36 countries in 2025, mainly due to previous immigration violations, criminal records or security concerns.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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