Jobs racket: Nepali actor Khushbu Hamal Thakuri held for running human trafficking ring

Jobs racket: A Nepali actor and two others were arrested on the charge of human trafficking on Saturday. The accused Khushbu Hamal Thakuri (39), who has acted a few Nepali films, was arrested for duping Nepali citizens on the pretext of sending them abroad on a work visa.

Thakuri's two associates — Surya Karky (28) and Kamal Chaudhary (34) — posed as South African embassy officials to dupe people. Police believe that their racket was active in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, among other states.

Acting on a tip-off, police laid a trap at Naba Karim in Central Delhi and arrested Thakuri and Karky. Seventeen Nepali passports were recovered from their possession. "The two confessed that they duped people by promising them jobs in South Africa. They also told us that they had detained five persons at a hotel in Naba Karim. We conducted a raid at the hotel and rescued the five," ACP (Central) Devesh Srivastava said.

The five persons told police that they had come to India through a woman, Maya Tamang, who introduced them to the three accused after they paid her Rs 1 lakh.

"They were introduced as South African embassy officials. The three accused asked for Rs 2 lakh, which the victims paid and handed over their passports on February 15. Maya returned to Nepal but the other three kept in touch with the victims. After more than 10 days, they told the victims to pay another Rs 2 lakh. The victims asked them to return the money, after which one of the victims approached the police," Srivasatva said.

Police said the third accused, Kamal, was arrested from a rented house in Ranjeet Nagar. A total of 35 Nepali passports and Rs 8 lakh were recovered from his hotel room in Karol Bagh. During questioning, Thakuri said he was well-known in Nepal and he used his image to lure victims.

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