NEPALGUNJ, July 3: Goods are easily smuggled through the Nepalgunj border in western Nepal, which is connected to India. The smugglers have effectively engaged the customs officials, security personnel and others to smuggle large quantities of goods.
The goods imported illegally from India that have found 'legitimacy' in Nepalgunj, Kohalpur and other markets are being delivered to the consumers through traders. The goods such as clothes, foodstuff, motor parts, electronics and others are illegally imported from India.
The customs staff and security personnel deployed at the border areas are involved in delivering large quantities of imported goods to their destinations in the country. According to sources, these illegal goods are being stored in warehouses in Nepalgunj.
"Smugglers are able to import goods worth millions of rupees from India in collusion with the customs officials and security personnel. Smugglers bribe the customs officials and security personnel who help them bring in various goods illegally from India,” the source told Republica.
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According to the source, illegal goods are being smuggled into Nepalgunj through trucks and containers via the Nepal-India Jamunaha border. Recently, Banke police recovered seal-packed smuggled goods which had been transported through trucks and containers.
Illegally imported goods worth over Rs 3.8 million recovered
Banke police seized a large amount of smuggled goods from India on Monday. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Narayan Dangi said that the team deployed from the District Police Office Banke raided Soni Gupta's house located at New Road, Bhanubhakta Chowk, Nepalgunj-2, and recovered illegally imported clothes worth Rs 3.83 million.
DSP Dangi said that the clothes were illegally imported from India by evading customs duty and stored in a warehouse. According to Dangi, they seized 4,274 pieces of kurta suruwal worth Rs 3.83 million.
Dhruba Raj Bishwakarma, chief of Nepalgunj Customs Office, did not answer the call when he was contacted for a response on this matter. Purna Prasad Lamsal, information officer and customs officer of the office said that they were unaware about the smuggling of goods into Nepal from India.
"We don't know how goods are illegally imported from India, the security personnel who seized it would have information about this,” Lamsal told Republica.
According to the sources, it is suspected that the large quantity of clothes seized in Nepalgunj may have been smuggled through a truck or a container truck.
“These clothes and apparels were not brought in by individuals. Goods carried by such people are easily identified,” the source said, “It seems that these goods were brought in on trucks and container trucks, something which has become quite easy for smugglers these days.”
In recent times, the Banke police have been frequently recovering goods illegally imported from India.
