US embassy cable - 02KATHMANDU937

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000937 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS, KFRD, PGOV, NP 
SUBJECT: NIV FRAUD RING DUPES WORKERS SEEKING US 
EMPLOYMENT 
 
1.   SUMMARY:  Post uncovered information about a ring of 
con artists claiming to provide nonimmigrant visas for 
approximately 6500 USD when Gobin Karki, a victim of the 
scheme, appeared at the Embassy to collect the visa for 
which he believed he had paid. The ring, with possible 
ties to Darjeeling, uses an elaborate ruse including 
invocation of the name of the current Nepali 
representative to the United Nations to win the 
confidence of laborers looking for overseas employment. 
No fraudulent visa was actually handed over by the 
perpetrators, and the photocopied foil shown to Karki is 
unsophisticated and easily detectable as a forgery.  Post 
is working with Nepal Police to investigate the case, and 
has secured Karki's cooperation for eventual prosecution 
of the organizers of the ring.  End summary. 
 
2.   On May 10, Gobin Karki (DPOB 27 February 1971, 
Nepal) appeared at the Embassy to check on the status of 
a visa he claimed to have been issued.  Presenting a 
photocopy of the visa foil as "proof" of the issuance, he 
requested return of his passport.  FSNs easily detected 
that the photocopy was a badly done forgery and brought 
the case to the attention of ConOff.  Mixed typefaces, 
obviously altered MRV code and a control number that does 
not match the issue date are the most obvious problems, 
and further investigation revealed that the foil number 
(20482105) was originally issued to Mohan Shyam Shrestha 
in January 1999.  During further interview with ConOff, 
Karki indicated that he had paid 500,000 Nepali rupees 
(approximately 6500 USD) for a job in and visa to the 
United States. 
 
3.   Having just returned from work in the Gulf, Karki 
mentioned in a conversation with his sister's landlord, 
Ram Krishna Shrestha, that he was eager to find 
additional work overseas.  Shrestha stated that he knew a 
friend who could help and put Karki in touch with Arjun 
Khatri, the apparent ringleader.  Khatri won Karki's 
confidence by stating that he worked with Murari Raj 
Sharma, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and by 
showing him photocopies of three U.S. visas he had 
supposedly helped to obtain for former clients.  (Note: 
Murari Raj Sharma was former Secretary at the MFA and is 
currently Nepal's Representative to the U.N.  Karki never 
had any direct interaction with Sharma, and post assumes 
that the con artists are simply using Sharma's name 
without his knowledge.) 
 
4.   Khatri stated that he could arrange German visas for 
himself, Shrestha and Karki to work in Europe, and 
collected a total of 340,000 NRs (approximately 4400 USD) 
from Karki, half for Karki's own visa and half as a loan 
for Shrestha's.  When Khatri came back from Delhi with 
Cuban visas instead of German, he told Karki that they 
would have to get additional stamps from the French 
Embassy in order to travel, and that an easier course 
would be to apply at the U.S. Embassy. He told Karki that 
the 340,000 NRs could be applied to his new application 
with the U.S., and that he would have to pay an 
additional 164,000 (approximately 2100 USD) in order to 
claim the visa once issued.  A few days later, after 
Karki was shown a photocopy of the forgery, he deposited 
the money in a bank account registered to Purushottam 
Guragai and Rajendra Shivakoti, who Karki states are 
travel agents.  According to Karki, he finally became 
suspicious when Khatri failed to produce either his 
passport or the actual visa, and he came to the Embassy 
himself to investigate. 
 
5.   Karki's original plan was to go to Darjeeling 
himself to track down Khatri, whom he believes may have 
fled there to live with a second wife, and to file a 
complaint with the police station in his home district of 
Jhapa.  On the suggestion of ConOff, however, he has 
decided to cooperate with the Embassy in prosecuting the 
case through Kathmandu police.  Post believes that 
investigation and prosecution of the case will proceed 
more quickly with Embassy backing.  Karki will also file 
a complaint with the Labor Ministry, as he was promised a 
job by Khatri and the Labor Ministry has jurisdiction 
over persons providing overseas employment. 
 
6.   Post will provide Kathmandu police with all 
information pertaining to the crime, including 
information about the original recipient of the visa 
foil, and our RSO local investigator will accompany Karki 
when he makes his statement to police. 
 
7. Comment:  Though the fraud involved in this scheme is 
relatively unsophisticated and presents little or no 
danger of malafide travelers reaching the U.S., the ease 
with which Karki was duped and the amount of money he was 
willing to pay help to demonstrate the growing 
desperation among some of Nepal's working class.  Post 
has already seen an increase in simple fraud at 
interviews and, as unemployment continues to increase, 
expects to see additional attempts like this one to take 
advantage of nave Nepalis seeking higher income in the 
United States.