Kathmandu, 13 Aug: In recent days, Indian media have been abuzz with reports claiming that “agents of underworld don Daud Ibrahim” have been arrested in Nepal. Some outlets have written that Sheikh Salim, also known as Salim Pistol, who allegedly smuggled weapons from Nepal to India, has been caught.
Due to the open border between Nepal and India, suspects often hide in each other’s countries. In this context, some have portrayed him as a criminal active against India while staying in Nepal.
However, speaking to Onlinekhabar, an officer from the Delhi Police said that Nepal was not his base. “He had come under the police radar during investigations into the murders of Punjab singer Sidhu Moosewala and former Congress leader Baba Siddiqui,” the officer said. “He was arrested in 2018 but later escaped and fled outside India.”
The officer further stated that after he went on the run, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had also issued a Red Notice against him.
“After that, it was discovered that he was based in Dubai, and following long-term surveillance, he was arrested when he came to Nepal,” the officer said. “To arrest him, the Delhi Police Special Cell, Indian security agencies, and officers from the Nepal Police conducted a joint operation.”
Nepal Police spokesperson Vinod Ghimire, however, said that he only learned about the matter after the news appeared in the Indian media. He stated, “I have no information regarding the claim that he came from Dubai.”
Nonetheless, a press note from the Delhi Police Special Cell, obtained by Onlinekhabar, also mentions that the joint operation was coordinated with the Nepal Police.
On May 29, 2022, Sidhu Moosewala was killed when an unidentified group opened fire on him in Jawaharke village of Mansa district, Punjab.
Baba Siddiqui, on the other hand, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Bandra East, Mumbai, in the last week of October 2024. He had been associated with the Congress Party for 48 years, and his murder took place just a few weeks after he joined the NCP.
Accused Handed Over Secretly Between the Two Countries
Many suspects involved in organized crime in Nepal flee to India, while a number of Indian suspects cross into Nepal to seek refuge. In such cases, the two countries often informally exchange each other’s fugitives.
Police officials say the arrest of Sheikh Salim, who had landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, is the latest example of this. In the past, the shooters involved in Sidhu Moosewala’s murder had also entered Nepal through the eastern border on 8 September 2022.
However, in an unusual turn of events, the shooters wanted by the Indian police were caught by locals in Bhatiyagaun, Kachankawal Rural Municipality-4, and handed over to the Jhapa police. That day, a sudden commotion broke out in the village amid rumors that strangers had come “to kidnap children,” creating a tense situation.
The locals even surrounded the border police post, demanding action. The police said the men were kept in the custody of the Jhapa District Police Office for a few hours before being handed over to their relatives.
But two days later, the Punjab Police issued a press release claiming that the arrested individuals — Kapil Pandit, Deepak Mundi, and Rajindra, alias Joker — had been caught in the Nepal–India border area in West Bengal. Only after this press release did the details of the incident in Kachankawal come to light.
At times, informal handovers of suspects have put police officers themselves at risk. In the second week of Falgun 2081 BS, seven Punjab Police officers who had come to Kathmandu to arrest a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang were detained by the Nepal Police.
A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was also investigated on charges of assisting these officers, who had been arrested for coming without prior coordination.
After the incident in which Indian police officers were detained in Kathmandu caused a stir in both countries, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs issued strict guidelines for operations in foreign territories. The directive made it mandatory to obtain prior approval and coordination for any investigation or police activity in another country.
At a time when secret cooperation has begun to create problems for officials, there is also ongoing debate about the need for a new extradition treaty between Nepal and India. The issue was discussed during the home secretary–level meeting between the two countries held in New Delhi in the first week of Shrawan.
According to a senior official at the Ministry of Home Affairs, both countries have agreed in principle to move forward with an extradition treaty. “However, the specific clauses it will contain have not yet been finalized,” a Nepali official who attended the meeting told Onlinekhabar.
Nepal and India had signed an extradition treaty nearly 72 years ago. But, considering it irrelevant in the present context, efforts have been underway to sign a new agreement. Back in 2060 BS, the provisions for an extradition treaty and a mutual legal assistance agreement had already been finalized.
However, during the home secretary–level talks in New Delhi, Nepal raised objections to certain provisions mentioned by India in the treaty draft. Nepal’s stance was that controversial clauses — such as allowing uniformed Indian police to enter Nepal and enabling the extradition of third-country nationals — should be removed.
After the Nepali side took this stance, India agreed to amend those clauses, and consensus was reached at the secretary level on the draft extradition treaty. However, no decision was made at the home minister level. Since it was felt that the treaty needed to be advanced from a higher level, then-Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula was preparing to visit India. But, according to insiders, the visit was stopped at the last moment after the recently included Maoists in the government expressed opposition.
Since then, the issue of the extradition treaty has come up during every high-level visit between Nepal and India. However, the proposal has remained stalled, mainly due to Nepal’s concerns that after the treaty is signed, India would also be able to request extradition of third-country nationals.
According to a former secretary of Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the Nepali side understands that once the treaty is signed with India, it would be difficult to refuse similar requests from countries like China, the United States, and Dubai. China, in particular, has been pressuring Nepal to sign an extradition treaty.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Nepal in October 2019, the proposal to sign an extradition treaty with China was also pushed forward. However, Western countries, including the US, feared that the treaty would open the door to deport Tibetan refugees living in Nepal, and they lobbied intensively within Nepal to block it.
Ultimately, the Nepal-China extradition treaty proposal was halted at the last moment, citing “incomplete groundwork.” However, Nepal has signed a mutual legal assistance agreement with China.
Nepal Police officials say that since many suspects flee to India, having a clear extradition treaty with India would be in the interests of both countries.
However, Hemanta Malla Thakuri, former head of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), says the main challenge of the extradition treaty lies with third-country nationals.
“Sending Indian criminals back when they come to Nepal is not a challenge for the Nepal government,” he says, “But when the issue of third-country nationals arises, then it creates problems.”
