KATHMANDU: The Nepal Police have arrested three individuals for forging various official documents, including government papers, bank statements, and educational certificates.

The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office made the announcement during a press conference on Thursday.

Acting on information about counterfeit document operations in Futung, Tarakeshwar Municipality-7, police raided the location and apprehended the suspects.

The arrested individuals are identified as 46-year-old Anjani Bayalkoti from Devi Chowk, Tarakeshwar Municipality-2; 28-year-old Nirmal Khadka from Okhaldhunga, currently residing in Budhanilkantha Municipality-12; and 23-year-old Anju Khatri from Makwanpur, living in Chandragiri Municipality-1.

Investigations revealed that Bayalkoti had been forging documents for the past eight years, producing fake government and non-government certificates, local government recommendation letters, academic certificates, land ownership documents, and driver’s licenses.

She operated with the help of two assistants, whom she paid monthly salaries ranging from NPR 10,000 to NPR 15,000.

The group also forged Dependent Visas, marriage certificates, and fake land ownership documents for bank loan applications. They were found to have been creating cooperative statements for students traveling to Japan on student visas, which were sent through courier services, according to SP Kaji Kumar Acharya.

Further investigations uncovered that the group supplied fake holograms of educational institutions and government offices, and produced fabricated academic certificates and experience letters for individuals seeking labor visas for Japan and other countries.

They also made counterfeit medical cards from hospitals like Manmohan Memorial Hospital, Salyan District Hospital, and Bir Hospital for Nepali citizens applying for PR or Green Cards abroad.

Additionally, they were found producing fake bank statements from all Class ‘A’ banks for visit visa applications.

Police recovered 42 migration certificates, 60 character certificates, 110 academic transcripts, five marriage registration certificates, 50 provisional certificates, and 10 land ownership certificates. Letter pads of various cooperatives, bank and cooperative statements, and local government recommendation letters were also seized during the raid.

The suspects have been sent to the District Police Range, Bhadrakali, for further investigation and legal proceedings.