THE CHINESE MEN
MOBILISED THEIR NEPALI ASSOCIATES TO LURE UNWARY GIRLS AND WOMEN INTO FAKE
MARRIAGES WITH THEM
Published:
August 31, 2019 7:50 am On: Nepal
HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE
Kathmandu,
August 30
The
Anti-Human Trafficking Bureau of Nepal Police has rounded up 10 persons,
including four Chinese nationals, for allegedly operating a bride trafficking
ring under the guise of cross-country marriage.
The suspects
of transnational trafficking racket have been identified as Zhen Xianjdong,
Zhang Donghui, Quan Zhan Peng and Qin Liyang of Hubei Province, China, while
their Nepal-based associates have been identified as Rina Tamang Bibirani,
Parbati Gurung, Amrita Gurung, Usha Ghimire, Roj Tamang and Bharat Tamang.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ishwar Babu Karki, AHTB in-charge, said they
were involved in trafficking Nepali girls and women to China as brides.
The
Chinese nationals mobilised their Nepali associates, including four women, to
lure unwary girls and women into fake marriages with them as part of
‘bride-buying practice’, which is pervasive in some parts of the northern
neighbour.
The
practice enables the ‘groom’ to resell his ‘bride’ as personal property.
The
AHTB swung into action and broadened the scope of investigation after it
arrested two Chinese suspects, Quan and Qin, with two Nepali ‘brides’ from
Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday.
Girls
and women who were victims of the trafficking racket were from Kaski, Chitwan,
Sunsari and Lamjung districts. Police also rescued five victims.
Nepali
agents of the trafficking ring arrested by the AHTB were mobilised in remote
parts of the country to search for potential ‘brides’, who could be trafficked to
China through fake marriages.
Agent
Gurung had rented a house in Tokha to train victims to become ‘perfect brides
of Chinese men’. The Chinese men would also be provided with an opportunity to
have a video chat with their ‘prospective brides’ before preparing marriage
documents.
According
to the AHTB, the Chinese men paid up to one million rupees for a Nepali
‘bride’. Unsuspecting girls and women, mainly uneducated and needy but
good-looking and young, were made to conclude paper marriage with Chinese nationals
with promise of a ‘blissful married life abroad’. In some case, traffickers
would also convince parents or guardians of the victims.
SSP
Karki said the alleged members of the trafficking racket had been charged with
human trafficking and organised crime. He said the AHTB had launched a thorough
investigation into the case.
