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.”
DRI’s investigation into vape smuggling racket hampered by information leak
The leak of information by officials from the security forces about ongoing investigation by the DRI into the presence of a vape smuggling racket in Nepal has hampered the search for the kingpins of the smugglers’ group.
On Sunday some news media cited sources from the Armed Police Force (APF) to claim that a container holding vape worth more than Rs 150 million was seized by officials from the security force from Rasuwagadhi border as the transport company failed to furnish documents proving the payment of customs for the vapes.
However, Director General of the DRI Chandi Prasad Ghimire told Republica that the department is yet to categorize the seized items as per their type and manufacturer, let alone evaluate the price of the items seized. In absence of an evaluation of the DRI, the APF officials have no basis for estimating the price of the seized items.
DG of DRI Chandi Prasad Ghimire
“The department has not yet categorized the seized items into disposable and rechargeable vapes or on the basis of company in order to determine the value of the vapes,” DG Ghimire said, “If the real value of the vapes does not match the baseless claim by the APF source used in some news, it will weaken our case at the court.”
He added that the baseless estimation of price of the vapes hampers the investigation into the kingpins behind the smuggling racket as it weakens the DRI’s case at the court by creating confusion about the actual price of the items. Furthermore, the information leak about the confiscation of the vapes alerts the masterminds behind the operation, providing them ample time to evade police search.
“When the ones behind such operations are alerted about the department’s actions, they might find it easier to evade the authorities,” Ghimire told Republica.
DIG Kumar Neupane
Spokesperson for APF, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kumar Neupane expressed his commitment to take strict action against officials within APF if they are found to circulate such baseless rumors.
"As the spokesperson for the APF, it is my responsibility to not disseminate such misleading information as well as not let others disseminate it," DIG Neupane told Republica, "If we are to find the APF officials behind the information leak, particularly misinformation, we will take strict action against them."
