Chinese nationals setting up illegal call centres in Nepal to target Indians through instant loan apps have become a pain point for law enforcement authorities in Kathmandu. Authorities in Nepal said the police can’t do much against the Chinese nationals as they do not trouble locals. DIG Tek Prasad Rai, information officer of Nepal police, said better coordination between India, Nepal and China can curb the cybercrimes. 

Acting on a series of reports in mid-day, the Nepal police have in the past two weeks raided three illegal call centres and arrested 190 people, including 5 Chinese nationals and two Indians. DIG Rai said the staff at the call centres—local Nepalis—were hired in the guise of promotional activities but were forced to abuse Indian borrowers and blackmail them with morphed pictures to extort money. Excerpts from the interview: