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Abu Dhabi — Oman’s High Court has ordered the deportation of 20 Nepali nationals, including one woman, for involvement in cyber fraud. According to the Nepali Embassy, 11 of them have already been repatriated to Nepal on Thursday, while 7 more are scheduled to be sent back on Monday. Flights for the remaining 2 individuals are yet to be finalized.
The deported Nepalis had initially traveled from Nepal to Dubai on visit visas and then entered Oman through a Chinese company in hopes of employment. Arriving in Oman around late February, they were allegedly used by the company to carry out online scams involving digital platforms, fake banking websites, social media fraud, and money collection through entertainment chat apps.
Based on a tip-off, the Royal Oman Police, in coordination with international agencies, launched an investigation and arrested a total of 257 individuals — including the 20 Nepalis — from Sohar city on March 10. Among those arrested, two were sentenced to six months in prison and fined 600 Omani Riyals, while the rest received six-month sentences and fines of 300 Omani Riyals.
According to police, the company confiscated the passports and documents of the workers upon arrival and trained them to operate fake websites and chat apps under the guise of “online customer service” or “investment consultancy.”
Suresh Khadka, President of the Nepali Social Club under NRNA Oman, stated that families had reported losing contact with their relatives, prompting a search. “Eventually, we discovered they were being held in Sohar jail,” he told NepalPress.
NRNA Central Member Devan Khadka played a key role in coordinating between the jailed Nepalis and the Nepali Embassy in Muscat. Devan personally helped maintain regular contact with the detainees and provided them with phone cards. According to both the embassy and NRNA Oman, this coordination greatly facilitated the repatriation process.
Largest-Ever Single Deportation of Nepalis from Oman
The Nepali Embassy in Oman confirmed that this incident marks the largest single deportation of Nepalis from the country to date. Nepali Ambassador to Oman, Dornath Aryal, noted that the number of Nepalis in Oman has surged in recent months. With several large construction projects underway and Oman halting visa issuance to Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals since last year, demand for Nepali workers has increased. The embassy estimates that around 25,000 Nepalis are currently employed in Oman.
