Three Nepalis who were forced to live as detainees in Afghanistan for over 30 months after being duped by human traffickers are set to return to Nepal following an amnesty deal from the Afghan government.

 

Govinda Poudel, Hem Prasad Gurung of Kaski and Min Bahadur Chettri of Parbat—were working as security guards at Kabul-based Camelot Business International Company. They had reached the Afghan Capital on June 1, 2015 via New Delhi, India. The company fired them from work after 10 months refusing to issue visa and work permit and since then they were living in hiding in Kabul as illegal workers.

 

They were confined to the country as they had no document and had overstayed their permit which led to the piling up of fines they had to pay for their exit visa.

 

According to the trio, they had repeatedly contacted Nepal government, President and secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their rescue but to no avail. However, now they have arrived at New Delhi, India after the Afghan government, a week ago, granted amnesty and waived their fines amounting to Rs 5 million.

 

New Delhi-based Nepal Embassy spokesperson Hari Odari informed that the stranded workers will leave for Kathmandu on a Nepal Airlines flight on Thursday.

 

The migrant workers, in their complaints, have stated that each of them had paid Rs 700,000 to Pokhara-based SG Marine Management Pvt Ltd Manager Santosh Gurung, Laxmi Karki and Chandra Gurung to work in Afghanistan, adding that they also paid IRs 90,000 to an agent by the name of Bharat Kumar Adhikari upon reaching New Delhi and another $1,000 to another agent, Ali, after reaching Kabul.