Night business: A hotspot of cheating, robbery

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 11: Night clubs, dance bars and dohori centres-based cheating and robbery have lately been on the rise in Kathmandu, said police on Friday. 

Some of the police officials themselves have acknowledged that this spiraling trend is going to be a big headache in days ahead.   

This troubling trend came to light when different police circles under the Kathmandu District Police Range, and Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Ranipokhari, started receiving complaints about cheating of over a million rupees from Nepalis as well as foreigners.   

On March 6, police arrested 11 fraudsters from a dance bar in New Bus Park area on charge of cheating its customers. Police have arrested them for robbing Indian citizens Aditya Mishra, Harpindra Singh, Ravi Nagpal and Nepali citizen Bishal Gautam from Sunlight Live Dance Bar.

The victims informed the police that they were robbed at the dance bar on the night of March 6 at 8 pm. Police received information that Aditya Mishra was robbed of Rs. 65,000 Nepali currency (NC) and 50,000 Indian currency (IC), Harpindra Singh of 50,000 IC and 70,000 NC, Ravi Nagpal of Rs. 50,000 IC and 65,000 NC, and Bishal Gautam of Rs. 5,500 NC. 

Following the information, the police team deputed from Police Circle, Maharajgunj and Durbarmarga, arrested those involved in the act. 

Among those arrested are Nirdosh Thapa, 26, of Parsa and temporarily residing in Bouddha Tusal, Nayan Rai, 24, of Katari Municipality-3 of Udyapaur and temporarily residing in Chabahil, Prakash Rai, 27, of Udayapur and temporarily living in Hattigaunda, Kathmandu, Sudeep Chamling, 23, of Budhanilkantha, Premi Pun, 25, of Kushma, Baglung and temporarily living in Balaju-16.

Similarly, 19-year-old Sushila Tamang of Rasuwa Dhunche and temporarily residing in Tarakeshwar Municipality-4, Elina Tamang, 20, of Rasuwa Dadagaun and temporarily residing in Tarakeshwar-4, Pema Sherpa, 21, of Ganeshsthan of Sindhupalchowk, Tatopani, Soni Lama, 20, of Danadagaun of Rasuwa, Sanju Lama, 21, of Panchkhal, Kavre, and temporarily residing in Tarakeshwar-4 Seshamati, and Barsha Lama, 21, of Thulogaun of Rasuwa and temporarily residing in Tarakeshwar-4, Kathmandu. 

The police have seized Rs. 4,000 in cash from them. DSP Angur GC of Maharagunj Police Circle said that the arrested persons are being further investigated after taking a remand order of seven days from the Kathmandu District Court for crimes related to theft and robbery of the Criminal (Code), Act, 2017.

According to DSP GC, robberies and defrauding cases are increasing in the night businesses in the bus park area. “Robbery and cheating have become almost a regular business of most of the dance bars in the area except some,” he said. “We have arrested many people in such cases. Last month alone, we arrested 21 people,” DSP GC said. 

“We had closed their business for certain days, but after some time, they found another place and rooms in rent and ran the same business,” he said. 

According to him, a large group is active in such kind of robbery and fraudulent activities. Managers hire men and women for such jobs in dance bars and disco clubs, claimed police. 

A group from outside lures customers in and after entering, the women, who are there for dance and serving food, get close to the customers and ask them to buy juice saying they want to drink with them. When the customers start acting casually, the girls accuse the customers of trying to sexually abuse them and even threaten to report the incident to police under sexual assault charge, said DSP GC.  

It has also been seen that a group of men in the adjacent room inside the bar come out and take the money away by threatening them.

DSP GC said that such groups were found to be active from Nagadhunga to Thamel to Bus Park area. According to him, Indian citizens have borne the brunt of such robbery and cheating.  

Similarly, innocent Nepali men from rural areas who come to Kathmandu for the first time are also found being robbed and cheated. DSP GC said that it has been found that such group lures innocent customers by saying that they will arrange rooms, food and sex workers in the guest house at a cheap price. According to him, in many such cases, the victims do not reach the police office.

Dan Bahadur Karki, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Kathmandu District Police Range, said that consumers should themselves be aware of fraud and robbery whenever they visit night clubs. He said that both the service providers and the service receivers are equally responsible. “Having said this, this doesn’t mean that we have not detained and taken action against such owners, but, whenever they visit such places, they should be aware of themselves,” SSP Karki said.