International Police Organisation (Interpol) is preparing to install biometric devices in four places of Nepal in a bid to track movements of terrorists and criminals, and to curb entry of people travelling with forged travel documents.

Preparations are under way to install these Mobile Interpol Network Database (Mind) devices in Raxaul of Birgunj, Bhairahawa of Rupandehi, Rasuwagadhi of Rasuwa and Pokhara-based immigration office, sources said.

So far, Nepal has three such biometric authentication systems installed at Special Bureau of Police Headquarters, Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police and Tribhuvan International Airport.

The device uses physical characteristics of people such as face shape and fingerprints to screen people and documents. 

Chief of Interpol Division Kiran Bajracharya said that the devices will verify the travel document such as identification card, passport, visa and administrative document against the Interpol database, which will strengthen border security. 

The database will track the movements of people who are on Interpol’s red corner notice as well as verify the legality of travel documents within few seconds. 

“The device will immediately identify whether the presented documents are valid or not. If found illegal, the concerned people can be taken under control for investigation,” said Bajracharya.

A training was conducted on Thursday to educate 12 police officers and five immigration officials from the areas where the biometric security devices are being installed. 

They were trained how to operate the device.

Nepal started managing Interpol database from 2014. Since then, Bajracharya said, 150 foreigner travellers have been caught with travel documents with illegal status in the Interpol’s database. Similarly, 30 Nepalis have been caught abroad.

Ram Chandra Adhikari, chief of Pokhara Immigration Office, said that the devices will be useful in controlling and managing the movement of tourists entering Nepal 

illegally.

Additional Inspector General Kamal Singh Bam, chief of Nepal Police in Province-4, said that the biometric devices will help police control criminal activities in the country.