Kathmandu, Jan. 15 -- On Monday, the Metropolitan Traffic Police detained five motorcyclists in Kathmandu who were associated with ride-hailing apps and impounded their motorcycles. The bikers were fined Rs 1,000 each and then let go.

The crackdown continued further on Tuesday, as both Tootle and Pathao, two motorcycle ride-sharing companies in the Capital, reported more incidents of their riders being apprehended by traffic personnel.

"The officers are requesting for rides and then nabbing our riders," said Shashank Shumsher Thapa, assistant manager of Pathao, the Bangladeshi tech startup which began its Nepal operations in September last year. "This is nothing but the government using scare tactics to shut down our business."

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