By Our Correspondent , Nepalgunj, April 1 , : As the cost of petrol in India is higher than in Nepal, people have started smuggling petroleum products – petrol and diesel – from different districts of Nepal to India.

Petrol and diesel are dearer by more than Rs. 12 per litre in India than in Nepal due to which people have started using different mechanisms to smuggle petrol across the border.

According to the locals of Narainapur area, drums of petrol and diesel are being smuggled to India by keeping them in tractors and mini-trucks.

Locals also argued that there were less security officers in the Narainapur area following which the smuggling was going on undetected under the authorities.

“We have received information about the petroleum products being smuggled to India in large quantities through different areas across the border. We have increased the surveillance in the recent period to mitigate smuggling,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Om Rana, who is also chief of Banke District Police Office.

A patrolling team from Area Police Office, Bhagwanpur confiscated 2,000 litres of diesel on Wednesday from Ward 1 of Narainapur Rural Municipality. A mini-truck (Bhe 1 Kha 2960) was being used to smuggle the diesel.

Security officers also informed that while 2,000 liters of diesel seemed to be a huge confiscation, more quantities of petroleum products were being smuggled from Nepal to India in the recent days.

“The confiscated diesel has been handed over to the Nepalgunj Customs Office. We have also started intensifying our surveillance along the border area to prevent smuggling,” said Police Inspector Basanta Gautam of Bhagwanpur Area Police Office.

Locals in Jayaspur border point of Banke with India also informed that 90 per cent of the individuals who arrive at the petrol pump there are Indian nationals.