KATHMANDU, Jan 13: A month-long low profile investigation by the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) into e-cigarettes (vape) smuggling from China to India via Nepal has pinpointed that there is a singular group operating the smuggling racket in Nepal.
Last month, the Butwal office of the department seized vapes worth more than Rs 3 million from a container truck while being smuggled from Kathmandu to Nepalgunj. Chief Investigation Officer Bibek Ghimire at the the Revenue Investigation Office (RIO), Butwal, told Republica that as many as 2,600 electric cigarettes, packed in 13 cartons, brought from China that were being transported to India via Nepalgunj were found in a truck of Bheri Transport Nepalgunj during a regular check in Butwal on the East-West Highway.
According to Ghimire, the vapes were traced to Diamond Nepal International through a month-long low profile investigation into the call logs of the drivers. Eventually, two representatives of the organization Rojan Neupane, of Kaligandi Rural Municipality-5 in Syangja, and Sanaulha Ansari, of Nepalgunj, Banke, were detained for investigation into the case.
Ghimire added that the RIO determined the real market value of the seized vapes as Rs 6.2 million as bail of the same amount was set for the duo. However, the owner of Diamond Nepal International is still absconding as the RIO has not succeeded in tracing his whereabouts by tracking his mobile phone.
“Our investigation has revealed that the cigarettes were brought from China and were being smuggled through the Jamunaha border in Nepalgunj with the intention of selling them at a high price in India,” Chief Revenue Officer Ghimire told Republica, “The RIO has initiated further investigation to locate the kingpin behind this operation.”
Ghimire revealed that an investigation into the call logs of the two detained representatives of Diamond Nepal International suggests the presence of a singular vape smuggling racket in operation in Nepal. Based on the investigation into the Butwal case, DRI seized 86,000 vapes packed in 500 cartons from a warehouse in Sheetal height, Imadol, last week and detained two individuals from the warehouse. Further investigation led to illegal vape bust ups in Mustang, Pathlaiya and Butwal.
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“They are smuggling the vapes into Nepal via Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi,” Ghimire said, “And all the recent cases of vape smuggling are linked, suggesting the presence of a singular group behind the racket.”
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