The Ministry of Home Affairs has refuted media reports that linked its leadership to alleged irregularities at the Immigration Office of Tribhuvan International Airport, calling such claims entirely baseless.

In a statement released on Saturday, Joint Secretary Chhabi Rijal said that the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is currently conducting an inquiry into the immigration office’s operations. The ministry assured that all facts will be made public once the investigation concludes.

“The ministry will fully cooperate with the CIAA’s investigation,” the statement read. “We urge everyone to await verified information and refrain from circulating misleading claims.”

The ministry expressed concern over “baseless, misleading and fictitious” reports published in various media that have linked senior officials to the alleged irregularities. It firmly denied any involvement of the ministry’s leadership in unlawful or corrupt activities.

“We clarify that the ministry’s leadership has no connection to, and will not be part of, any illegal or corrupt practices,” the statement added. “We request that only verified information be published, in view of the seriousness of the matter.”

The ministry issued the statement in response to the media reports claiming that a group of government officials, in collusion with the ministry’s leadership, were sending hundreds of youths to various countries in visit visas collecting millions of rupees from each of them.

The ministry recently transferred a group of civil servants working at the immigration section at the country’s only international airport after the anti-graft body started investigation into their alleged involvement in the irregularities.