Philadelphia CBP officers arrest Pennsylvania man on felony child sex assault charges

PHILADELPHIA - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, man on Saturday at Philadelphia International Airport who was wanted on multiple felony sex crimes, including rape of a child.

CBP officers arrested Dev Poudel, 50, after he arrived on a flight from Doha, Qatar, and turned him over to Upper Allen Township, Pennsylvania, Police Department detectives.

Poudel was wanted in Mechanicsburg for rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault person less than 13 years of age, corruption of minors by a defendant age 18 or above, endangering the welfare of children by a parent, guardian, or other.

"These are very serious and heinous charges. Customs and Border Protection officers remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to bring dangerous fugitives to justice and ensure that the most vulnerable of victims in our communities have a voice. It's one way in which CBP helps to keep our communities safe," said Elliott N. Ortiz, CBP's area port director in Philadelphia.

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

Every day, CBP officers compare international passenger and cargo manifests to numerous law enforcement databases, including the National Crime Information Center to identify passengers and cargo that may require additional inspectional scrutiny, such as those with outstanding arrest warrants.

CBP processed an average of more than one million arriving travelers every day at our nation's airports, seaports, and land border crossings, and arrested an average of 37 wanted persons.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation's Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, and other prohibited items that threaten public safety and our nation's economic vitality.

Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on X @DFOBaltimore and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 70,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air and on the seas. We enforce safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration and trust.

• Topics
• Border Security
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• Office of Field Operations
• Travel