RAUTAHAT, Nov 19: A team of Rautahat-based Armed Police Force has seized a truck full of onions which were being illegally smuggled into Nepal from India.

The APF team seized the onions worth Rs 3.3 million while the smugglers were loading them on to a truck in Fatuwa Bijaypur Municipality-7. The smugglers had brought 170 sacks of onions from the Indian market to Nepal on motorcycles and bicycles.

As the price of onion has skyrocketed in the Nepali market, the smugglers have been bringing onions from the Indian market illegally. After police received a tip off about the onions were being transported illegally to Kathmandu, the APF team seized the onions loaded on the truck with registration number Na 2 Kha 6304 from Fatuwa Bijaypur Municipality-7, Rautahat. The police had seized a total of 85 quintals of onions from the smugglers.

The smugglers ran away after police arrived. But the locals obstructed APF from seizing the onions. According to APF, hundreds of armed police force personnel arrived at the incident site after the locals obstructed the team from seizing onions. 

The seized onions have been sent to the District Customs Office, according to APF. The police are searching the smugglers.

Goods are often smuggled illegally to the Nepali market through the open border in the region. It has been learnt that smugglers have been supplying goods to Nepal with the help from security personnel in the border areas.

According to APF, they have arrested 115 smugglers in the last eight months. The smuggled goods are worth more than Rs 45 million, APF claimed.

 
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