The Department of Immigration has apprehended three Indonesian nationals in Lalitpur on charges of violating their visa conditions by allegedly engaging in illegal religious proselytizing.
The arrests followed a raid on a girls' hostel run by the ' Himalaya Shiksha Tatha Hitaishi Samaj' in Dhobighat. Officials, including the department's director, found the individuals teaching the Quran and Turkish to approximately 50 students. Investigations revealed the students were not enrolled in any formal educational institutions.
The operation uncovered that one suspect entered Nepal on a tourist visa and the others on study visas. They are accused of working contrary to their visa purposes by promoting the Muslim faith. The group is also linked to a boys' hostel in Jwagal where similar activities were conducted.
Authorities allege the operation was funded by international organizations based in Turkey and the UK, with an estimated annual inflow of Rs 25 million.
Under Nepali law, a tourist visa prohibits any form of employment or work for a purpose other than that for which the visa was granted. Violators face fines of up to Rs 50,000 and deportation. Further investigation into the case is ongoing, the police said.
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