By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, July 3: On June 29, the Metropolitan Police Circle, Kalimati, arrested two individuals with more than Rs. 6.5 million without clear source of earning.
Following a tip off regarding the operation of business related with illegal money, the police from Kalimati had arrested 47-year-old Ramesh Singh, a resident of Bara, and 25-year-old Ravi Shankar Singh, an Indian national, from a house in Kuleshwor, Kathmandu.
As per the Kalimati police, they confiscated Rs. 6,508,000 from the duo and handed them to the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, for further investigation and necessary legal procedures.
“The duo had been conducting illegal transaction of large amounts of money in a way that it did not pass through the banking channel,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shyam Lal Gyawali, chief of the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu.
A case has been filed against the duo under Banking Offence and Punishment Act.
“We are investigating the case further to find out more about their business and the masterminds behind it,” said Gyawali.
According to police, there are layers of people working in the business of illegal transaction of money.
“Most of those we arrested are from the lowest layer and they are the ones carrying money from one place to another. They only receive money for their work and are unknown of people above them due to which it is difficult to reach the higher layer,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Ganga Pant, chief of Parsa District Police.
Parsa has recorded many cases of confiscation of large sums of money without known source of income in the recent months.
On June 30, Parsa District Police had arrested two individuals with Rs. 600,000 from Ward 24 of Birgunj Metropolitan City while the duo were on a motorcycle (Na 51 Pa 2801).
Among the arrested are 28-year-old Sattodhan Prasad Kalwar, a resident of Birgunj, and 36-year-old Pramod Kumar, an Indian national.
Police had received information regarding the duo and the money from unknown source. When the duo were stopped for checking, police confiscated the money and arrested them.
Parsa District Police had also confiscated more than Rs 1.1 million April 29 and arrested 29-year-old Lalbabu Kumar Yadav, a resident of Birgunj.
Yadav was arrested with Rs. 1,150,000 while police checked him when he was on his way to Birgunj from Raxaul on a motorcycle (Naa 62 Pa 9571). Yadav was involved in hundi, an informal remittance transfer channel.
Similarly, while checking the vehicles on February 24, police had confiscated Rs. 1,971,000 from two individuals – Sanjay Kumar Sah, 41, and Jay Lal Mahato, 30, of Birgunj who were on a motorcycle (Baa 48 Pa 6597). The duo had no source to declare for the confiscated amount.
The next day, on February 25, Parsa police again arrested two individuals – Bijay Kumar Thakur, 35, and Raj Kumar Kalwar, 31, with a total of Rs. 700,000 during a regular vehicle checking.
Thakur, an Indian national, was arrested with Rs. 400,000 while he was being checked in his motorcycle (BR 05 AA 7255) and Kalwar, a resident of Birgunj, was arrested with Rs. 300,000 while he was on another motorcycle (BR 05 D 5018).
Similar confiscations are being made on different dates and in different parts of the country.
“The money which needs to be transferred for illegal business such as drug smuggling is transported in a way that the money does not pass through legal channel. This type of illegal transportation and transaction of money is mostly conducted between Nepal and India,” said Pant.
As per the police, they have been increasing their surveillance over such illegal businesses in order to arrest the ones involved and terminate their racket.
“There are no victims in this business due to which there are no complaints. It is up to law enforcement agencies and other authorities to increase the surveillance and arrest people involved in such crimes. It is the only way to curb this business and Parsa police is opting for the same way,” Pant added.