The remaining eight arrests were linked to other offences, including two each under cheating and the POCSO Act, and one each under theft, gambling, the Excise Act and a road accident case.

The accused were between 19 and 63 years of age, with an average age of around 35 years. Most were in the 20-40 age group.

The youngest foreign national arrested was 19-year-old Nepalese national Sachin Kumar, booked in 2024 under the POCSO Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in a case involving alleged sexual assault of a minor.

The oldest was 63-year-old Dal Bahadur, also from Nepal, who was arrested in 2021 under the Excise Act, making him one of the few foreign nationals booked in a non-narcotics case during the period.

Year-wise, 2022 recorded the highest number of arrests with eight cases, followed by four each in 2021, 2023 and 2025, and three each in 2024 and 2026.

Panchkula Commissioner of Police Pankaj Nain said the figures reflected sustained action against drug trafficking and other offences involving foreign nationals.

“Our action is intelligence-driven and strictly based on evidence, irrespective of the nationality of the accused. The majority of cases involving foreign nationals during the past five years relate to NDPS offences, particularly heroin trafficking, which remains a key focus area for the police. We are working in close coordination with central agencies and other state police forces to identify and dismantle drug supply networks,” he said.

Nain added that the presence of foreign nationals in criminal cases should not be viewed as representative of any particular community or country.

“Law enforcement action is taken solely on the basis of violations of law. We continue to strengthen surveillance, verification and inter-agency coordination to ensure public safety while dealing firmly with organised crime and narcotics-related offences,” he said.

Changing crime profile

The data indicates a shift in the nature of offences involving foreign nationals. While earlier years saw arrests in cases related to excise violations, theft, gambling and road accidents, recent years have been dominated by narcotics cases, suggesting anti-drug operations have become the principal focus of police action involving foreigners in the district.

It also shows distinct patterns by nationality. Nigerian nationals were almost exclusively arrested in heroin-related NDPS cases, whereas Nepalese nationals figured in a wider range of offences, including drug trafficking, cheating, POCSO, theft and excise violations.