2 Chinese, 115 Nepalese held in online loan scam

Kathmandu, February 23

Two Chinese and more than 100 Nepal nationals have been arrested for their involvement in running an online fraud loan scheme targeting Indians, police said on Wednesday.

The Nepal Police said in a press release that they arrested two Chinese and 115 Nepalese in two separate raids conducted in Kathmandu and Bhaktapur districts in Kathmandu valley on Monday and Tuesday for their involvement in fraudulent cyber activities.

Acting on a tip-off, Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range first detained a group of 37 individuals, including a Chinese from Old Baneshwor on Monday night. The Chinese national, identified as Chang Hu bao, operated illegal business activities targeting Indians with the help of Nepalese youth.

“They had officially registered the company called Lewan Group to provide IT services for business houses in the capital,” police said.

The Nepalese arrested from Kathmandu include 23 boys and 13 girls.

After their arrest, the police also busted a larger racket in Sano Thimi Municipality of Bhaktapur district from where they arrested 80 persons, including a Chinese national named Wang Zinao in the second raid carried on a three-storey office building.

A total of 48 laptops and 14 desktop PCs were also confiscated from the office. — PTI

Targeted Indians

• The Chinese nationals, who reportedly started the business one and a half months ago from Kathmandu and Bhaktapur, used to lend short-term loans to Indians online at 2.5 to 3.5 per cent interest rates
• They provided loans amounting to Rs3,000 to Rs30,000 to the borrowers in India, who were required to submit the photo copies of their ration cards and contact numbers