Canadian humanitarian worker arrested in Nepal over paedophilia charges

KATHMANDU: A 60-year-old Canadian national running an NGO in Nepal has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing children on the pretext of providing them humanitarian assistance, police said today.

Peter John Dalglish, who had served as the country representative of the UN-Habitat Afghanistan, was arrested in Kavre District, about 60 km North-East from Kathmandu, on Saturday by a team of Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) on paedophilia charges.

Two children, aged 12 and 14, who were allegedly abused by Dalglish were also rescued from his room in Mandan Deupur Municipality.

The CIB suspects that there could be other victims.

Dalglish had been running an NGO called Himalayan Community Foundation in Nepal since 2015.

"Under the guise of community worker, claiming to educate poor kids and provide necessary support, he had been sexually exploiting these children," said CIB chief and Deputy Inspector General of Police Pushkar Karki.

Police had started further investigation against the Canadian national after taking him into police custody.

An organisation outside the country had tipped the CIB about Dalglish, according to local media reports.

"We had been following Dalglish's activities for the last two weeks after we were tipped about his activities," the CIB chief said.

Authorities have arrested seven persons on paedophilia charges since 2016.

Police have intensified their surveillance to nab paedophiles after Canadian national Ernest Fenwick MacIntosh was arrested from Lalitpur district near Kathmandu in 2014.