After staying here for few days, they had boarded a Qatar Airlines flight from Tribhuvan International Airport to Sarajevo of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the Bosnian immigration refused them entry and sent them back to Kathmandu on July 5 on suspicion that they were using fake visa to enter the European country. 

 

The same day, the airport immigration office sent them to Department of Immigration for investigation. “We deported them after they arranged their plane tickets,” Immigration Officer Chiranjibi Thapa told The Himalayan Times. “They boarded a Air Arabia flight to Dubai, from where they will travel to Sudan before entering their home country.”

 

Those deported are Srkie Fevben (23, female), Tsehaye Sham (24, male), Bereket Hana (30, female), Yoseaf Almaz (37, female), Daniel Kebri (2, male), Daniel Noemi (4, female), Tesgay Samson (5, male), Daniel Asenya (6, female) and Daniel Nimrod (8, male).

 

The Eritrean nationals were initially apprehensive about travelling to their home country and had sought permission to travel to Sudan, which, according to them, offers better employment opportunities, immigration officials said. 

 

Eritrea is one of the poorest countries in Africa and is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south and Djibouti in the south-east. The nine Eritrean nationals were trying to enter Europe via Nepal in search of better opportunities, immigration officials said.

 

The Department of Immigration has also deported Ukrainian national Naraina Om to his home country for overstaying in Nepal for 23 days. Om was deported on Friday after he paid overstay fee of US$115 and a fine of Rs 4,000. He has been barred from entering Nepal throughout 2018.

 

Om had arrived Nepal on January 10 and had obtained 90-day tourist visa. He had extended his visa a couple of times, but was detained on June 9 when he visited the Immigration Department to prolong his stay in Nepal.

 

The immigration officials said he had tampered with the visa.