Centre steps in as Pb cops get egg on face in Nepal

An unsanctioned operation carried out by a team of Indian police officers in Nepal recently caused a diplomatic stir, forcing the Ministry of home affairs (MHA) to write a sternly worded letter to the chief secretaries and police chiefs of all the states and Union territories asking them to ensure that prior permission is taken before visiting any foreign country for conducting investigations, according to people familiar with the matter.

- Neeraj Chauhan

The incident happened in the last week of February, when a team of about half-a-dozen officers from Punjab police's anti gangster task force (AGTF) reportedly tried to nab a wanted criminal from near a restaurant in the Nagarjun area on the outskirts of Kathmandu.

As Nepal police got information about the Indian officers trying to carry out an operation without their knowledge, they swung into action and restricted the Punjab police personnel.

The matter, people in Delhi aware of the developments said requesting anonymity, was sorted out at the level of top officers in Delhi, who spoke to their counterparts in Kathmandu, after which the Indian officers were allowed to leave.

"The police team's visit without any approval caused embarrassment for the Indian side," said one of the officers cited above.

India and Nepal are trying to keep the incident under wraps as both sides regularly assist each other, both formally and informally, in criminal investigations, said officers in the know.