Jun 27, Kathmandu - Despite ongoing investigations by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), security measures at Nepal's airports have been intensified following revelations that young foreigners were being brought into the country under the guise of visit visas.

The new restrictions were announced after a high-level meeting led by Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Authorities now prohibit foreign citizens from traveling abroad without a No Objection Letter (NOC) and have instructed officials to scan and record travelers' details.

During the meeting, it was disclosed that when Tirtharaj Bhattarai, currently under CIAA investigation, was heading the airport immigration department, 212 Indian citizens left Nepal without obtaining NOCs in just four months. Some of these departures were found to have been based on forged NOCs.

Following these revelations, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has shown increased interest, and sources report that Indian citizens are now being returned from Nepal's airports daily.

Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Immigration, Department of Foreign Employment, Department of Passports, Department of National Identity Card and Registration, and the Ministry of Information Technology participated in the meeting.

The government had previously formed a high-level committee led by former Chief Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi to investigate issues related to visit visas. However, opposition parties continue to question the effectiveness and transparency of the committee's work.