The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police has arrested an underage girl, who forgers helped to fly to the Gulf to work as a domestic help.

The girl has been identified as Binita Chhetri (16) of Kalimgpong Dolpachang- 1, India. She was found to be in possession of a Nepali passport issued in the name of Man Maya Yonghang, a native of Mahespur- 1, Jhapa.

A CIB team arrested Chhetri from Tribhuvan International Airport upon her deportation by the Nepali Embassy in Kuwait on Monday after she was found to be using a Nepali passport (5190427) to work there as a domestic helper.

According to CIB, racketeers had sent her to Kuwait via Kolkata on January 10 by forging the passport in the name of Yonghang. The racketeers had replaced Yonghang’s photo with that of Chhetri’s in the passport to show the underage girl as eligible to travel abroad for employment. No person under the age of 21 is allowed to travel abroad for foreign employment.

During interrogation, Chhetri said that one Yuvaraj Chhetri of India had procured the passport and visa for her. “What I gave him was my photograph only. I was stranded in various places of India before flying to Kuwait,” she said.

Chhetri added that she had also met five other Indian women in Kuwait working as domestic help with Nepali passports. “They are having a very tough time there,” she recounted. Chhetri has been sent to Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka with the passport for further investigation. CIB has arrested a number of Nepali and Indian women with forged passports trafficked to Gulf countries after their deportation.

Published on: 26 January 2011 | The Himalayan Times