Kathmandu, Jan 6 (IANS): The Nepal government was preparing to deport 122 Chinese nationals arrested on suspicion of engaging in "cyber and financial" crime, as the authorities could not gather adequate evidence to indict and imprison them.

On Sunday, the District Administration Office here imposed a fine of 1,000 Nepalese rupees on each of the Chinese for "indecent behaviour" and ordered their release, The Himalayan Times said in a report.

Director General of Department of Immigration Eshwor Raj Poudel said that the 122 people would be deported to China within two days.

"Since police investigation has shown that the arrested Chinese were not involved in crime related to Nepal, we will have to deport them from the country after recording their statement," he said, adding that they would be deported in a chartered plane to be sent by China.

The Chinese nationals were arrested on December 23, 2019 on suspicion of using social media to swindle money from the rich, single and divorced Chinese women, running an illegal

online gambling racket, operating Ponzi scheme and blackmailing Chinese by hacking their private information from phones and computers.

They were booked for "indecent behaviour" as some were found engaging in activities that breached the terms and conditions of their visas while others were not even in possession of their passports.

Of the 122 arrested, the passports of only 67 were seized by the police, The Himalayan Times reported.

Since all of them have breached the immigration law, the police have written to the Department of Immigration to conduct further investigation.

They were supposed to be taken to the department right after the district administration office freed them, but due to "space constraints" they have been kept at police stations in Kathmandu.