Police on Monday arrested 122 Chinese nationals from different places in the Capital suspecting their involvement in some illegal activities.

According to the Nepal Police, a joint team of the Central Investigation Bureau, Metropolitan Police Range and Metropolitan Crime Division conducted raids on different houses in the Manmaiju, Bansbari and Budanilakantha areas after tip-offs that some Chinese nationals were involved in some suspicious activities.

“We have arrested 122 individuals, all from China, who arrived in Nepal on tourist visa,” said Senior Superintendent Sahakul Thapa, chief of Metropolitan Crime Division. “The search is on, as we believe there are more people involved in suspicious activities.”

According to Thapa, police have confiscated over 500 laptops from them.

Police suspect the Chinese nationals were involved in committing financial crimes in China through the internet from Nepal.

“The arrested have been kept at different police stations, including Maharajgun, Teku and Budhanilkantha,” Thapa told the Post.

In the Budhanilkantha area, the arrested Chinese had rented a whole house, said Thapa.

Police have seized their passports. “Investigation is underway,” said Thapa.

Of late, concerns have grown over Chinese nationals’ involvement in financial crimes.

In September, five Chinese nationals were arrested for using cloned debit cards to breach the banks’ processing system and withdraw cash amounting to millions of rupees from different cash dispensers in Kathmandu. Police had confiscated 132 forged VISA debit cards, 17 authentic VISA cards, six mobile phones, a laptop and a data card from them.

The story has been updated.