Immigration officials at Mumbai airport detained a Nepali woman identified as Shanti Arjunsing Thapa, alias Chanda Ganesh Regmi, 49, after she was found carrying an Indian voter ID card. The immigration department also seized her forged Aadhaar and PAN cards.
Officials said she was caught by 58-year-old immigration officer Milind Palande, who was on duty at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on October 24. She was later arrested by the Sahar police. Investigation revealed that Thapa has been living in India for the past 30 years. She had also been casting her vote for the last 20 years in India using the forged document.
A police officer said, “On October 24 at around 6.15 pm, Thapa arrived at Mumbai airport for immigration clearance, where she showed her Indian voter ID card and boarding pass. According to the boarding pass, she had arrived from Kathmandu in Nepal on a flight to Mumbai.”
“Immigration officer Palande examined her voter ID and questioned her about her visit to Nepal, but she failed to give a satisfactory answer. Based on her first name, Palande suspected that she might be a Nepalese citizen and referred her to the concerned officials for further questioning. During the inquiry, it was confirmed that she is a Nepalese national. She told officers that she came to India in 1996 with her husband, Arjunsing Thapa, and settled in Kalyan,” the police officer further said.
The woman produced her Nepalese citizenship card as proof, which revealed her real name as Chanda Regmi and her residence as Kathmandu. Subsequently, she was handed over to the Sahar police for further legal action. The officer further said, “While investigating, Thapa revealed that she has been casting her vote in India for the past 20 years.”
Dual citizenship
There is no provision for dual citizenship between India and Nepal. Non-Indian citizens are not entitled to hold Indian voter IDs, passports, or any official documents granting rights and benefits reserved for Indian citizens.
