LUCKNOW: A Nepali national, allegedly linked to an illegal cryptocurrency and foreign exchange racket involving transactions worth 37.64 crore Nepali rupees, was intercepted by immigration officials at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow early Wednesday while allegedly attempting to fly to the Middle East using a fraudulently obtained Indian passport.The accused, identified as Dinesh Khadka, a resident of Nepal’s Kailali district, was intercepted while attempting to board Air India Express flight IX-226 to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).He was allegedly travelling under the assumed identity of Dilip Kumar, son of Naresh Kumar, a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.According to the FIR, Khadka arrived at the airport’s immigration counter around 1.30am on Wednesday for departure clearance. During routine checks, officials grew suspicious of his nationality and subjected his travel documents to detailed scrutiny.During questioning, Khadka allegedly admitted that he was a Nepali citizen. Immigration officials subsequently recovered documents identifying him as Dinesh Khadka, born in 1994 and residing in Ward 10 of Lamkichuha municipality in Nepal’s Kailali district.The recovered documents included a Nepali citizenship certificate, a photocopy of his Permanent Account Number (PAN) card and other travel-related records. Officials alleged that he had fraudulently obtained an Indian passport to conceal his actual nationality and travel abroad.Khadka’s name had surfaced in a major investigation into alleged illegal cryptocurrency and foreign exchange transactions conducted by Nepal’s Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) in January 2022.Khadka and three other members of his family, including his father, Nara Bahadur Khadka, who is associated with a political party, were named in the investigation involving transactions worth approximately 37.64 crore Nepali rupees.However, according to an immigration source, it remains unclear whether Khadka’s alleged attempt to travel to Sharjah was directly connected to the investigation initiated by the Nepalese authorities in 2022.Following a complaint lodged by Nagendra Kumar Singh, a junior immigration officer posted at Lucknow airport, Sarojini Nagar police registered an FIR against Khadka on Wednesday evening.Police booked him under Sections 337, 339 and 340(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, relating to the forgery of government identity documents, possession of forged documents and their use as genuine.Section 12(1)(b) of the Passports Act, 1967, concerning the furnishing of false information or suppression of material facts to obtain a passport, and Section 22 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, were also invoked.
