JANAKPURDHAM, June 21: “When security personnel and customs officials join hands, anything can be transported,” this is the statement of Ram Jiban Yadav, a local Republica ran into near the Thadhi Customs Office in Madhesh Province.

Yadav's representative statement, which initially belonged to Yadav alone, is now commonly echoed by the residents living in the border region of Madhesh Province. This statement highlights the persistent issue of smuggling in Madhesh province, particularly concerning customs and security personnel.

The recent actions of Makwanpur police in Bagmati Province have substantiated the claims made by the border area residents in Madhesh Province. On the night of May 15, the Makwanpur police apprehended a smuggler in Madhesh Province. The individual was caught red-handed while transporting onions in a truck with an Indian license plate, attempting to evade customs inspections at the Thadhi customs point in Siraha.

Upon inspection by the district police office in Makwanpur, it was discovered that a significant quantity of clothes intended for customs evasion was being concealed beneath the onion sacks. The truck was found to contain 90 sacks of various types of customs evading clothes.

The driver of the truck, Ranjaud Singh, aged 33, a resident of Rasalpur ward 7 in Ludhiana district, Punjab State, India, along with Sudhir Kumar Sahni, 26, a resident of Mahamada Village, Muzaffarpur District, Bihar State, India, have been taken into custody by the authorities.

According to Inspector Ramchandra Ghimire of the District Police Office Makwanpur, while stopping and checking the Indian trucks in front of the Ratomate check post that entered through Siraha's Thadi checkpoint on the east-west road section located in Hetauda-15, a truck carrying clothes and covered by onion sacks from all sides was detained with a custom clearance of 168 sacks of onions weighing 50 kg per sack.

Ghimire said that the recovered material has been sent to the Internal Revenue Office, Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur for further investigation. Among the recovered goods, there were fabrics for pants worth Rs 12.9 million. Similarly, the police estimated that the suit fabrics are worth Rs 300 thousand, and shirt fabric worth Rs 1.6 million. Similarly, Kurta worth Rs 103 thousand, Kora fabric worth Rs 525 thousand were recovered.

The estimated value of the truck used in the transportation is Rs 2 million and the approximate value of 84 quintals of onions being transported in the truck is estimated to be around Rs 2.52 million. Ghimire said that goods worth Rs 17.752 along with the seized items have been sent to the Internal Revenue Office.

On the other hand, non-gazetted officer Basanta Kushwaha, Deputy of Customs Office, Thadi, said that on June 15 at 11AM, the declaration of onions brought in the truck was issued in the name of Godavari Mata International Bhagwanpur, Siraha. He said that the notification of 345 sacks of onions of 50 kg has been issued.

“It is not known how the goods going to Bhagwanpur reached Makwanpur. We sent onions," he said, “We sent the four sacks of onions above after checking, we did not find out about the cloth hidden under the sacks of onions.”

Thadi Customs Chief Dhruba Prasad Koiri said “I was on leave from June 16. I am going back to the office today, I’ll let you know after understanding the matter.” He got confused when told that the incident happened on June 15. He said, “Yes, I heard it was going to Kathmandu. We didn't send goods from here to Kathmandu. Saying this, Koiri, the head of customs office, hung up the phone saying that we would talk later.

The truck with Indian number plate loaded with customs-evaded goods entered through Siraha's Thadi border passing through dozens of security and traffic posts in seven districts of Madhesh Province was caught only after reaching Bagmati Province. An intellectual from Bara Pathlaiya said that it has become clear that Madhesh Province's security personnel and customs officials are involved in this smuggling.

“First of all, the investigation and police of the district from which such a large amount of customs-evaded  goods were imported should have caught it. Research staff of the District chapter of the National Investigation Department  are now in every city. Their job is to collect intelligence information and report it to the relevant agencies. However, it is suspicious that all the security agencies across the province turn a blind eye to smuggling,” he said.

Siraha's Thadi, Madar and Bariyar patti crossings have recently become safe havens for smugglers.

The border of Saptari in Madhesh Province has become a fertile ground for smugglers. Smuggling of materials including apples to India has flourished through various ports here. Apple smuggling is widespread through the Belhi crossing of Balan Bihul Rural Municipality.

In the third week of May, a team of Madhesh Province Police Office came and seized 385 cartons of apples with a market value of Rs 1.1 million. The smuggling of gold, betel nuts, apples, peas, pepper and alcohol through the border crossings including this is widespread. Pato, Chinnamasta, and Belhi are considered safe points for smuggling apples, gold, betel nuts and liquor.

After the information that there were apples in the house of local Santosh Yadav, the police surrounded the house all night when the owner was not there. The next morning, 385 cartons of apples were seized by breaking the shutters.

Locals of Belhi say, “Apples and other goods are smuggled under the protection of the police. Without taking the police into confidence, nobody dares to smuggle. After security personnel from both sides of Nepal and India give the green signal, goods cross the border.”

Jasodhar Shah, who was met at Dhanusa's Jatahi, expressed his surprise, “It is a normal thing for a smuggler to evade customs duty and smuggle goods through the border where the police are present, sir!” Dhanusha is a famous district of Madhesh Province where smugglers rule from the border with the presence of security personnel. Shah, who frequents Siraha and Dhanusha due to their geographical proximity, says, “The border between Siraha and Dhanusha feels as if they have been handed over to smugglers.”

From sugar, clothes, motor parts, pan masala, oil, pulses, rice, flour, tobacco products (Rajnigandha, Gutkha), all goods are imported through this port by evading customs duty. Liquors, Chinese apples, betel nuts are transported from here. Locals in the border area say that the smugglers reign here in a tripartite setting with the line drawn up between the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police personnel and the customs officials.

After receiving the 'line clear' signal from the security personnel (roaming), the indiscriminate movement of goods begins. Smugglers and police representatives (roaming) are deployed on motorbikes to clear the line from the border to the city.

A resident of Mader, whose house is on the side of the road, said, “We have no choice but to close our eyes, ears and mouth. After the state agency has opened the line for the smugglers, how can unarmed people like us dare to open our mouths?”, he questioned.

His direct understanding is that if the police from the border to the city do not deal with the smugglers, they will not dare to smuggle goods by evading customs duties.

He said, “The police are used in order to find ways for smugglers. They sit and eat together with smugglers and police in the border area. The attitude of the police towards the traffickers and the rudeness of the police towards the people is increasing the hatred towards the state among the residents of the border area. What kind of game is it that the eyes of the people see the goods being exchanged in motorcycles, pickups, trucks and tempos all night but the police do not see it!

Smugglers are rampant in the country's premier Birgunj customs and border area due to the involvement of security personnel and customs officials from the border to the city. Lately, smuggling has been flourishing in Parsa because of this. Smuggling is increasing through Amarpatti and Viswa crossings, which are tributaries of Parsa.

Border residents say that large amounts of clothes, motor parts and other goods evading customs revenue are being imported through the Velahi crossing of Raxaul through the Amarpatti and Viswa crossings of Parsa. When the Indian Border Security Force tries to stop the smuggling that happens in coordination with the security officer of Nepal’s side, the smugglers go away.

The traders used to store goods such as clothes and other customs duty evading goods coming in from different borders in warehouses in Birgunj and deliver them to different cities of the country.

"We don't know what is inside the sacks and bags," said a local of Birgunj, “The police do not even look at the smugglers' sacks and bags.”

Goods coming in from this point directly reach the smuggler's go-down located in Birgunj.

In Madhesh Province, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Saptari, Siraha, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Bara and Parsa districts of the border crossings have the rule of smugglers. Belhi, Chinnamasta, Kinili, Gobargadha, Barsain, Siraha's Thadi, Madar and Bariyar patti, Dhanusha's Mainathpur, Bhararia, Khauna, Jatahi, Inerwa, Duhabi, Akoura, Dibdiha, Khajuri, Mahottari's Samsi, Itharvakti, Maruwahi, Matihani, Jaleshwar, Bhithamod, Sarlahi Parsa, Bankul of Rautahat, Sarmujwa, Rampurkhap, Laxmanpur Belbichwa, Serwabrahampur, Kachorwa of Bara, Simraungadh, Beldari, Kabhi, Matiarwa, Chatwa, Gandak and Inerwa of Parsa, Chhapaiya, Alau, Amarpati, Parsauni, Khesraha, Sabathba, Bhiswa, Tihuki, Mirzapur, Janaki Tola, Vijayavasti, Thori crossings have smuggler's rule.

Lately, alcohol, Chinese apples, pepper, peas, gold, dates are smuggled through this border, and clothes and motor parts along with daily necessities are smuggled through this border. Residents of the border area say that cross-border smuggling has flourished through an organized network of smugglers in cahoots with security personnel and customs officials.

To tame the smugglers, customs officials and highway police sometimes seize some goods. Residents of the border area say that after maintaining the line, they keep quiet as if they don't see them.

Plain-clothes policemen (roamers) of provincial police and armed police offices, district police offices, local police offices, police stations, provincial and district offices of the National Investigation Department form arenas in border areas and cities, and line up smugglers. It is these security personnel who help the smugglers from the border to the warehouses of the city. Even though the roamers have been repeatedly conflicted, they have been given a break for some time and brought back to their responsibilities.

 
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