KATHMANDU:- The Immigration Department has taken into custody a Japanese national who was involved in suspicious activities while residing in Nepal.

He first entered Nepal on a tourist visa in 2012. The department stated that he had been operating a business illegally in Nepal for six years without obtaining permission and had not paid taxes due to the government despite registering the business at the local level.

A Japanese citizen who is married to a Nepali woman and can speak Nepali fluently, he had registered a business in Pokhara Lekhnath Metropolitan City and operated the Peace of Mind Restaurant Cafe in Pumdi Pabhumdi. He had also been operating a coffee shop in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, for the past four years without completing the business transfer process with the concerned government office.

The department has stated that the coffee shop is operating without registration. Foreign nationals residing in Nepal on a tourist visa must have obtained a business visa to operate a business with foreign investment approval or a ‘working’ visa if they are going to work.

There is a legal provision that the Director General can fine foreigners who engage in activities contrary to the purpose of their visa up to Rs 50,000 and expel them from Nepal with or without a specified period of time.

It has been stated that foreign nationals who are staying in Nepal contrary to the purpose of their visa or are involved in suspicious activities will be investigated and action will be taken according to the law. The department has not disclosed the names of the citizens.