Lawbreakers exploiting lax security as focus shifts to elections

By Our Correspondents

Parsa/Rautahat, Nov. 13: According to Armed Police Force Nepal Headquarters Parsa No. 13 Battalion, southern areas of Parsa district bordering India are under surveillance through 20 border outposts. 

“The border areas are being monitored continuously to prevent smuggling or any other cross-border criminal activities,” said Deputy Superintendent of APF Santosh Basnet, spokesperson for the battalion.

In around four months of the current fiscal year 2022/23, the battalion has handed over confiscated smuggled goods worth Rs. 67,752,000 to the Birgunj Customs.

Similarly, Parsa District Police spokesperson and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dipak Giri also informed that the police were also keeping a close eye along the border areas to prevent cross-border criminal activities amid the upcoming elections. 

Nepal Police units across Parsa district have handed over smuggled goods worth over Rs. 100 million to Birgunj Customs in the past four months.

Nevertheless, despite the authorities stressing strict security along the borders, smuggling has thrived in the district. 

Locals in major border points, including Birgunj, Nagawa and Chhapkaiya, informed that more goods were being smuggled recently because the border security had become lax as officers were busy in election-centred security.

As per the locals, smuggling is a regular activity along the border areas, but it had increased lately.

“Smugglers are exploiting the lax security to smuggle more goods from India and store them in different places within Nepal,” said a local villager living near the Nepal-India border on condition of anonymity.

Similarly, authorities are also struggling with counterfeit currencies as it can be misused more during the time of elections across the country.

On Thursday evening, Rautahat District Police and Maulapur Area Police arrested six individuals with fake currencies worth Rs. 87,000 from Ward No. 8 of Maulapur Municipality in the district. 

A total of 87 counterfeit notes each of Rs. 1,000 denomination were seized alongside a pistol from the group. 

The arrested individuals have been identified as Ananda Kushwaha,25; Pratima Devi Kushwaha, 45; Amrita Kumari, 22; Brijesh Kishor Mukhiya, 19; Rajaram Sah, 23; and Dhiraj Prasad Jaiswal, 20. They hailed from different parts of Bara and Rautahat districts.

“We had to fire two rounds in air to arrest the individuals since they started attacking the officers with stones. 

A total of eight officers, including two temporary policemen, were injured,” said DSP Sunil Malla, Rauataht Police spokesperson.

Police had later raided the house of Rajaram Sah in Ward No. 6 of the municipality and seized a pistol.

In the month of October, police had arrested a total of eight individuals with Rs. 940,000 worth of fake currencies from different parts of the country.

On October 22, five individuals were arrested with 11 fake notes of Rs. 1,000 denomination from Jorpati, Kathmandu. Three others were arrested from Siraha, Bara and Rautahat with 31, 895 and three notes of Rs. 1,000 denomination on October 1, 6 and 29 respectively.