Nepalese police arrests people providing fake citizenship to Bhutanese
Belbari (Morang), September 10: Nepalese Police have arrested five people along with a secretary of Village Development Committee (VDC), Rajghat in Morang district on allegation of providing Nepalese citizenship to exiled Bhutanese.
They had helped Basanti Pariyar, 22, of Pathri camp to get the citizenship through a false guardian. Her name has been changed as Lila Pariyar. Gopal Pariyar of Rajghat-5 has stood as her father. The head of the divisional administration office Urlabari Om Kumar Basnet had signed and issued her citizenship certificate on June 30. Her citizenship certificate number is 28664. It has been learnt that he has signed and issued more than two dozens such fake citizenship certificates to exiled Bhutanese.
Those arrested with this allegation include the Rajghat VDC secretary Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, Yadav Prasad Thapa, Agni Prasad Nepal, Sita Maya Ghising and Gauri Man Shrestha.
Basanti was arrested on August 31. Police have filed a case of defraud against her at the Morang District Court. Gopal Pariyar is absconding. Police have said they are trying to find out the VDC employees involved in the process.
More than a dozen of the Bhutanese youths getting such certificates have already left for foreign employment while others in same number have settled in various parts of the district.
Basnet has been saying that though he had issued large number of citizenship certificates, he was unaware of any Bhutanese individuals making citizenship through false parents. Chief District Officer of Morang Modraj Dotel said they are investigating into the issue. Bhutan News Service