LAHAN, Oct 29: Police discovered a body partially buried on the riverbank of Gagan Khola in Sukhipur Municipality-10, Siraha on October 14. The deceased was identified as Krishna Kumar Mahara, 21, the son of Sridevi Mochi, a resident of Dangraha Tole, Golbazaar Municipality-13, Siraha. Police started an investigation into the matter after determining that Mahara had been killed and buried.
The night before, on October 13, Rohit Kumar Mahara, 19, and Krishna Kumar of Golbazar-13, had gone to watch a dance program organized on the occasion of the Durga Mela at Shiva Chowk, Sukhipur Municipality-10. Some of their other friends had also participated in the event. Police investigation revealed that they had consumed drugs that evening. According to police, they had gone to a field near the river, east of the event site, where they created a bong of water bottles and consumed marijuana and Nitravet tablets.
After getting drunk, Krishna Kumar had called a female friend (with an undisclosed name and surname). However, when his friends also expressed their desire to meet the invited woman, Krishna Kumar refused. A dispute started on that matter. Police revealed that after the dispute escalated, the friends surrounded Krishna Kumar from all sides and killed him by inflicting fatal wounds in the neck and stomach using sharp scissors. Following the murder, they dug a hole in the ditch on the western side of the Gagan River and covered the upper half of the body with sand and fled away.
Chief of the District Police Office (DPO), Siraha, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ramesh Pandit said that police have initiated an investigation into the murder case, after arresting five of Krishna Kumar’s friends who are allegedly involved in the murder. The suspects were Santosh Kumar Mahara, 27; Rohit Kumar Mahara, 19; Dharmendra Mahara, 21; Dhiraj Kumar Ram, 19; and Mohammad Jamshed, 20 - all residents of Dangraha Tole, Golbazar Municipality-13. SP Pandit said that an investigation is underway after the district court in Siraha extended the deadline for the investigation into the murder case.
On September 2, Indian police discovered the body of a young man near the no man’s land in Bariyarpatti Rural Municipality-3 and informed Nepal Police about the discovery. The police reached the spot and recovered the body and started an investigation to identify it. Following the investigation, the deceased was identified as Bhula Yadav, 25, from Sukhipur Municipality-2. According to Ward Chairman Subash Yadav, Bhula’s father is a physically handicapped person while his mother passed away due to cancer. Bhula was the only bread-winner at home. He had gone to Malaysia for work but returned home nine months ago after not receiving his wages.
According to Ward Chairman Yadav, Bhula, who returned from Malaysia, got married last February and engaged in drug addiction. He started to consume drugs daily, often returning home intoxicated. However, he did not return home that unfateful day. “That day was exceptionally hot with bright sunshine and he might have taken a higher dose than usual,” Ward Chairman Yadav said, “After he became unconscious due to an overdose, his friends who were with him abandoned him.”
Bhula’s death has left his family devastated. The financial struggles of his family have made their daily life even more challenging. His family struggles to even fulfill basic needs.
Holistic approach a must to contain Madhesh drug crimes
According to Yadav, there is a disturbing trend of drug addiction among the youth in rural areas. In the families of rural Madhesh, fathers generally venture abroad for employment, while mothers dedicate themselves to household chores. As a result, the children, under insufficient supervision, are often engaged in drug addiction.
“In addition to the drug addiction in local youths, a number of youths from Gaighat and Katari of Koshi Province have made the villages close to the border their drug consumption hub,” Yadav said, “They consume drugs recklessly and also take them back to their localities.” Previously, the issue of drug abuse among the youth was not significant. However, it has now become quite rampant.
On October 19, the Maheshwari Area Police Office in Siraha arrested two individuals who were in possession of illegal drugs. The suspects, Sandesh Rai, 21, and Sugam Rai, 22, both residents of Triyuga Municipality-13 in Koshi Province, were arrested from an inner road in Sakhuwanankarkatti Rural Municipality-5 while trying to evade police. When the police searched their bodies, they recovered 219 ampoules of illegal drugs, including 69 ampoules of Diazepam, 76 ampoules of Buprenorphine, and 74 ampoules of Promethazine.
Terrifying data
Police have been arresting an average of two people along with drugs in Madhesh Province on a daily basis. According to the data maintained by the Province Police Office (PPO), Madhesh, as many as 999 people were arrested along with illegal drugs in the fiscal year 2020/21. In the fiscal year 2021/22, this number increased to 1,285. Police data shows that 1,304 people were arrested in possession of illegal drugs in the fiscal year 2022-23 and 1,108 people were arrested in fiscal year 2023/24.
According to the data maintained by the police, 211 people have been arrested in possession of illegal drugs till September 29 of the fiscal year 2024/25. Most of those arrested are below 30. Illegal drugs, including marijuana, hashish, brown sugar, opium, and heroin have been recovered from them.
As of September 29 of the current fiscal year, the police have seized 2,225 kg of marijuana, 101 kg of hashish, 1,374 milligrams of heroin, 15 grams of brown sugar, 1,42,651 tablets, 1,103 bottles, and 9,718 ampoules of illegal drugs from eight districts of Madhesh Province. Police officers said that drugs are smuggled from India by hiding them in various parts of the body, in motorcycle tanks and food bags misusing the open border with India.
Addiction of drug
Ajay Shah, a resident of Siraha, said that drug addiction is increasing due to cross-border drug dealers who, driven by the lure of high profits, are selling psychotropic drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
“In border areas, Nepali users easily smuggle these drugs from the Indian market via the porous border by evading the police,” he said, “They arrange the shipment of drugs, sometimes, with the help of the security personnel stationed at the border.”
Biltu Yadav, 75, of Bariyarpatti Rural Municipality, said that the number of youths and teenagers who are trapped into addiction is increasing due to negative association, tense family situations, depression, and lack of parental supervision. “Some parents remain silent out of fear of social humiliation, even when they know their child is addicted to drugs,” he said, “When the child’s behavior becomes unbearable, they often plead with the police to detain them for a few days and if the short detention does not help, the parents send those youths to rehabilitation centers.”
According to Biltu, youths and teenagers in villages prefer to stay away from relatives these days. “They like to stay alone and often communicate in a detached manner,” he said, “These are telltale signs of youth trapped in drug addiction.” He said that legal action alone is not enough to get rid of addiction.
It is important to identify the problems that lead them to drug addiction. Biltu said that along with legal action, psychological counseling is also necessary.
Chief of the Madhesh Province Police Office, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Lal Mani Acharya said that drug trafficking and consumption in Madhesh Province has been increasing in recent years. “Those who are trapped into addiction can be redirected to the right path with the support and cooperation of everyone,” he said, “For this, it is essential for both parents and society to be aware and vigilant.”
The Madhesh PPO has also launched an 'Anti-Drug Campaign' with current operations conducted in districts such as Parsa, Sarlahi, and Saptari. DIG Acharya informed Republica that an anti-drug campaign is also being conducted in collaboration with Parsa police.
There is a plan to increase police personnel in all eight districts of Madhesh Province to control marijuana and psychoactive substances. “It is essential to have cooperation among all stakeholders rather than relying solely on the police,” DIG Acharya said, “We will launch campaigns to eradicate drug use and trafficking with the support of the community and society.” He added that drug awareness classes have also been conducted in schools to control drugs.
Easy way, easy transaction
Recently, with increased access to roads, the number of vehicles has also increased in villages in Madhesh. Along with the marketization of villages and towns, the drug network is also spreading. Drug use is increasing not only in the border villages to the capital, but also in other urban areas in hilly districts.
The young generation of Madhesh is in the terrible trap of drugs due to the accessibility, association and learning. Police investigations reveal that youth gangs are active in the drug trade from across the border to the hilly districts including the Kathmandu Valley.
