Hasta Gautam, a 52-year-old Nepali man residing in Texas, was arrested on charges of trafficking 200 Nepali people to various countries under false pretenses of job opportunities.
He allegedly collected over 20 million Nepali Rupees (around 150 thousand US Dollars) from the people he trafficked.
According to NepalNews, the Human Trafficking Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police said Gautam employed several agents in numerous countries: Nepal, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates. The agents stole the victims’ passports and phones and demanded money—according to Gyan Bahadur Bista, the Deputy Superintendent of Police. The agents are also accused of torturing the victims if they refuse to comply.
Nepal remains on Tier 2 for the Trafficking in Persons Report from the US Department of State, citing that the “Government of Nepal does not fully meet the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts”. The government has done increasing investigations in identifying traffickers and victims, and the arrest of Gautam is a step in the right direction.
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