Man held for misusing minor to smuggle drugs

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, July 19:The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police arrested a man from Kathmandu for misusing a minor to transport drugs smuggled from abroad.

According to the NCB, they had arrested a 16-year-old girl on July 16 when she came to receive a parcel at the Cargo Complex of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

The parcel, which arrived from California, USA, had two kilograms of cannabis hidden inside packages of clothes. 

"Upon investigation, it was found that the minor was being misused by a man. She was paid a monthly salary of Rs. 20,000 for visiting the cargo office and receiving arrived items without knowing about the drugs," reads a statement by the NCB.

Making the incident public on Tuesday, the NCB informed that the man behind the misuse of the minor was 27-year-old Faiz Ullah Sah of Dhobini, Parsa. Sah has also been arrested by the NCB.

The NCB informed that the minor, who was waiting for her +2 exam results, was contacted by Sah while she worked as a receptionist at a job solution company. 

"The girl was requested for a worker from a workplace, and she complied. But the sent worker was said to be not up to the task, prompting the workplace to hire her for the job," reads the statement.

The bureau informed that the minor accepted the job when she heard that the salary was Rs. 20,000 per month and the work was simply to receive parcels containing items, such as chocolates, decoration items, toys and clothes, arriving from abroad.

The victim was asked for her citizenship photo copy before joining the job. Sah had sent her details to the USA via India to make her a receiver of a parcel.

The minor had reached the Cargo Complex of the TIA on a taxi to receive a certain parcel of clothes sent in her name on July 16 with Rs. 2,000 as transportation cost given by Sah.  

"However, the parcel was under our surveillance as it contained cannabis. We were waiting for the receiver. The investigation showed that the minor was misused," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Chakra Raj Joshi, spokesperson for the NCB, in the statement.

The bureau informed that Sah received parcels sent in the name of other individuals by misusing their identity cards.  "We request the public not to share their identity card details with unknown or unauthorized individuals and not to join a job without being certain of the work. Mostly, teenagers should be aware as they can be misused," said the NCB.