Photojournalists of Nepal Call For Indian Freelancer’s Release
A group of Nepali photojournalists has called for the release of an Indian freelance photographer in prison in Jhapa, Nepal since seven months for allegedly possessing printouts of $100 notes, which as per him would have “needed there for shooting a short film”.
Resident of Salkia, West Bengal’s Howrah district Durlav Roy Chowdhury, 24, , worked for different news organisations as a freelance photographer. He also has a YouTube channel named “Snipper Monk Travels”.
He was arrested from Chandrargadi Airport in Jhapa, Nepal while he was visiting Nepal from Kolkata via the Siliguri and Kakarbhitta entry points, according to different reports from News Agencies.
Chowdhury, who identifies himself as a National Geographic contributor on his LinkedIn page, was arrested during a routine security check at the airport just before boarding domestic flight to Kathmandu.
During the search, Nepal police recovered 226 photocopies of US dollar 100 denomination bank notes.
Chowdhury was put in the Jhapa jail on charges of carrying fake foreign currency as per the Jhapa District Court’s verdict.
The National Photo Journalists Group of Nepal has called for Chowdhury’s release claiming that he is not linked to any fake currency scam.
As per sources, Chowdhury arrived in Nepal for the shooting of a short movie “Money is Nothing” to be broadcasted on YouTube, as per his statement during the police investigation.
