Murder, Drugs, and Police ‘Exchanges’: Unraveling the Nepal-India Crime Nexus

Kathmandu : Lal Mohammad was brutally murdered in broad daylight on September 19, 2022 (Asoj 3, 2079) near his home at Kageshwari Manohara Municipality-8, Kathmandu. The perpetrators of the crime killed him riding on a scooter.

Mohammad had a well-documented past of involvement in counterfeit Indian currency operations. But when he was killed, he was operating a garment company called "Avenger Enterprises World Best."

Mohammad was from Sarlahi originally and had previously been linked to the killing of Balram Putwar, another participant in the counterfeit currency racket. After spending time in prison, he was released—only to be killed too.

Key Evidence from CCTV Footage

The police, in the investigation, discovered significant CCTV tapes from Koshipari Lodge & Hotel in Gothatar where the suspects had gone. The two men—one covering his face with a handkerchief and cap, and the other whose face was easily visible—were exposed in the video.

Police discovered the uncovered suspect to be Nitin Madan Arora, a money-laundering operator who stayed in Nepal along with his family. His identification was confirmed using documents in a recovered bag.

Arrests in Kathmandu

Police later arrested three suspects in the murder of Mohammad:

- 21-year-old Mahoram Miya of Birgunj-16

-19-year-old Rehan Miya of Birgunj-15-

Sushmita Syangtang, or Sumi, age 21 and originally from Makwanpur but currently staying in Kapan, Kathmandu

The police also seized two weapons—a pistol and an auto—an outfitted house in Lolang, Kathmandu, which was believed to have been used for the killing. However, no one had any idea about the identity of the masked shooter in the CCTV camera record.

The Arrest of Guddu Patel

On 1 March 2025 (Falgun 18, 2081), an Indian citizen, Guddu Patel, was arrested by the Kathmandu police in Tokha. Patel was hurt in the leg during the arrest and was admitted to the National Trauma Center for treatment.

According to SSP Ramesh Basnet, head of Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, Patel was the chief shooter in Lal Mohammad's assassination. Police said he had been on the run for years and was arrested from long-term tracking.

But questions were raised regarding Patel's true location before his arrest. Ukera (the newspaper) contacted people who knew Patel and compared his recent hospital photos with the masked suspect in the Gothatar CCTV footage. The resemblance suggested that Patel was the gunman.

Bablu Paswan's Arrest in Birgunj

On April 30, 2024 (Baisakh 17, 2081), police arrested Bablu Paswan, an Indian national of Raxaul, during a midnight raid in Birgunj. The authorities accused him of masterminding the murder of Lal Mohammad.

Paswan was intercepted while riding into Nepal on a motorcycle with illegal weapons and drugs. The police reported that he attempted to shoot policemen, so the officers fired at his leg. While being arrested, officers confiscated:

-A loaded pistol

-49 grams of heroin

-880 grams of marijuana

-Two mobile phones

Paswan was brought to Narayani Hospital and later relocated to Birgunj Prison. He is standing trial on arms smuggling and charges of drug trafficking.

Paswan, in his confession, had admitted involvement in kidnappings and ransom cases both in Nepal and India. Paswan also admitted purchasing his pistol from a supplier based in Raxaul and smuggling drugs to Nepal.

Although Parsa police linked Paswan to the killing of Lal Mohammad, Kathmandu police and Nepal's Special Bureau were not very keen on pursuing his involvement in the case.

The India-Nepal Crime Nexus

Paswan admitted to plotting Mohammad's murder, sources disclosed, allegedly because Mohammad was engaged in anti-India activities. Paswan had reportedly dispatched hitmen, including Guddu Patel, from India to Nepal for the murder.

The masterminds of this international crime syndicate are purportedly Bablu Srivastava, a gangster who is incarcerated in Lucknow, India. Srivastava has operations allegedly against people who are into counterfeiting and other operations that are deemed to be harmful to India. His accomplice, D.K. Tiwari, conducts these operations outside prison.

Paswan, a key figure in Tiwari’s network, oversaw criminal activities in Raxaul, including drug trafficking and kidnappings. His close associate, Guddu Patel, served as a shooter and enforcer.

A Shadowy ‘Exchange’ of Criminals

Guddu Patel's arrest in Kathmandu and Bablu Paswan's arrest in Birgunj indicate the usual pattern of Nepal-India cross-border crime enforcement. A number of infamous suspects who are on the wanted list of one country are quietly apprehended by security agencies from the other side of the border.

Reports say Patel was not arrested in Kathmandu's Tokha but rather arrested in Raxaul by Indian authorities and then transferred to Nepal. Similarly, the arrest of Paswan also seemed to follow the same script—detained in India, then transferred to Nepalese authorities.

Both Patel and Paswan were shot in the leg, a usual procedure to make it appear like an aggressive police crackdown. The incidents reflect an unofficial regime of criminal "exchanges" among Indian and Nepalese security personnel.

The 'Saree Shop Operation' in Raxaul Becomes a 'Tokha Arrest'

Ukera's investigation confirmed Guddu Patel was indeed arrested at Raxaul, India, and not Tokha. Indian security personnel had followed Patel for three days before finally picking him up at a saree shop in Raxaul. He was then brought to Nepal and handed over to Nepal Police, who coordinated an arrest operation in Tokha.

Similarly, Paswan's arrest in Birgunj was a similar process. While he was "found" at midnight in Birgunj, Guddu was "apprehended" during the night in Tokha. Both had been shot in the leg and both were accused of the murder of Mohammad.

These "trade-offs" would suggest that in the next few days, Indian criminals on Nepalese watch lists could now be "found" at stations or border towns in a similar fashion.

The 'Cleanup' Campaign Continues

Nepalese operations of counterfeit Indian currency have suffered a significant setback in the past few years. Indian security personnel, however, are still targeting the individuals involved in such operations.

Several individuals are still on India's most-wanted list, including:

-Iltaf Hussain Ansari, one of the main individuals involved in counterfeiting currency operations

-Nirullah Mohammad, suspected of committing similar crimes

-Sheru and Yunus Ansari, suspected gang members

As these operations have been undercover, it is as yet unknown who might be the next "gift" in this exchange of mutual law enforcement effort between Nepal and India.

फागुन २०, २०८१ मंगलबार १४:४५:०२ मा प्रकाशित

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