Operation Charlie Foxter and the subsequent arrest of 122 Chinese nationals: IGP Khanal steadfast on duty

KATHMANDU: The Interpol Assembly that took place in Chile earlier this year was the starting point of a long haul operation. Inspector-General of Police Sarbendra Khanal met with the head of the Chinese Police delegation participating in the assembly. IGP Khanal who was in Chile from the 15th to 18th October held discussions with the head of the Chinese delegation on the activities of organized crime by Chinese citizens in Nepal.

This led to the beginning of one of the most successful operations in modern-day Nepal. “Operation Charlie Foxter, a code name given to conduct the operation began and our IGP and Chinese officials had agreed to launch a joint operation in coordination with the National Central Bureau (NCB) of China, an institution solely liable to report information to the Interpol,” said Deputy Inspector General and Chief at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) Niraj Bahadur Shahi at a press conference yesterday in the capital.

Before IGP Khanal’s departure for Chile, several Chinese citizens were caught in criminal activities and were under investigation. The arrests came before the official visit of the President of China Xi Jinping to Nepal. Those arrested were found to be involved in financial crime, stealing from automated teller machines (ATM), hacking into the banking system and other forms of organized crime. This led to China’s police showing seriousness and cooperating with its Nepali counterpart.

Operation Charlie Foxter materialized after IGP Khanal gave instructions to his force. Data collection began with the help of CIB and the entire operation began after concrete information was received. All of them were caught on the same day after every piece of detail was verified.

Interpol, People’s Armed Police of China, and Nepal Police together coordinated to make the operation a success. Those arrested were involved in cybercrime as well as organized crime.

According to an internal source, several Chinese citizens were under the radar from the time they left China. Many had visited the Philippines and Cambodia. Many had entered Nepal through that route and China Police were providing constant information. Nepal Police along with the help of information received by the Interpol managed to nab all the culprits in one go.

In a single day when operation Charlie Foxter materialized 122 Chinese citizens were arrested. The entire operation along with verification of information and locations took the Nepal Police 2 months to plan and execute.

Each location was verified and targeted and none managed to escape. It was meticulously planned to raid each hideout they had in the Capital.

Nepal has made headlines and it is a major achievement and the biggest operation in modern Nepali history. The importance of this operation will go down in books as the most successful to have ever been conducted using precise attention to detail. The success of Charlie Foxter undoubtedly proves that the Nepal Police under the leadership of IGP Khanal proved that it is a force to reckon.