Kathmandu: A Chinese group has been arrested in Nepal for human trafficking. The group is accused of luring young Nepalis with the promise of attractive employment opportunities in other countries, and then taking them to Myanmar and holding them hostage, demanding money from their relatives through online means.
The group was led by 42-year-old Chinese national Liang Jun. Liang has been visiting Nepal continuously since 2018, and was arrested on 13 July, 2023, on charges of online scamming.
According to police investigations, the group has been targeting young Nepalis and Indians, luring them to Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar with the promise of employment opportunities. Once the victims arrive in Myanmar, the gang or group confiscates their passports and mobile phones, holds them hostage, and forces them to work online for 18 to 20 hours a day.
The police said that the group has been using online scamming to target American citizens. They would create fake IDs and chat with the victims, convincing them to invest in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
Ten people who were sent to Myanmar by this group are now in contact with the police.
A 26-year-old woman who was trapped by the group and went to Thailand on a tourist visa on July 25, 2022, traveled for 13 hours by car and boat from Thailand to Chiang Mai, Myanmar, and then to Mawlamyine. The police have furthered their investigation based on the complaint and oral information of the woman.
Earlier, 13 people had filed complaints online from Thailand, but the investigation was in a state of confusion as most of the information was unclear. The woman who returned to Nepal on August 22, 2022 after paying a ransom of 20,000 Thai Baht filed a complaint, but the police were unable to conduct further investigation. The condition of 6 people who went to Myanmar with her a year ago is still unknown.
The police are still investigating the group , and are trying to track down the other members. They are also trying to help the victims who have been rescued.
This is a serious case of human trafficking, and the police are determined to bring the perpetrators to justice.
