KATHMANDU: The Department of Immigration has taken a Japanese national into custody for allegedly engaging in suspicious activities while staying in Nepal against the stated purpose of his visa.

According to the department, the man first entered Nepal in 2012 on a tourist visa. Authorities said he had been operating businesses illegally for six years without obtaining proper permission. Although he had registered a business with the local government, he was reportedly not found to have paid the required taxes to the government.

The Japanese citizen, who is married to a Nepali woman and speaks fluent Nepali, had registered a business with Pokhara Lekhnath Metropolitan City and operated the “Peace of Mind Restaurant Café” in Pumdi Bhumdi.

The department also stated that he had been operating a coffee shop in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, for the past four years without completing the required process for business relocation with the concerned government offices.

According to officials, the coffee shop was being run without registration.

Under Nepali law, foreigners staying in Nepal on a tourist visa must obtain a business visa to operate a business through approved foreign investment or a working visa if they are employed.

The law allows the Director General of the Immigration Department to impose a fine of up to Rs 50,000 on foreigners involved in activities contrary to their visa purpose and to deport them with a temporary or permanent ban on re-entering Nepal.

The department said further investigation is underway and legal action will be taken as per the law against foreigners found involved in suspicious activities or violating visa regulations. The identity of the Japanese national has not been disclosed.