Four Arrested in Connection with Attack on Armed Police During Seizure of Smuggled Clothes in Birgunj

Birgunj. Parsa police have taken four individuals into custody in connection with the attack on the Armed Police Force (APF) during an operation to seize smuggled clothes in Birgunj.

Parsa Police Spokesperson Haribahadur Basnet informed that the four arrested were identified and detained based on CCTV footage of their involvement in the incident. According to him, further details are currently being kept confidential as the investigation into the matter is ongoing. All arrestees are being held at the District Police Office, Parsa.

What happened on Monday morning?

On Monday morning around 9:30 AM, a team led by DSP Bikash Adhikari from the APF Nepal, Customs Command Post Birgunj, along with customs office employees, was deployed in the Adarshnagar area of Birgunj. Acting on a tip-off about smuggled clothes being stored, the team reached the house of Madan Gupta.

SP Mohan Chhetri, Chief of APF Parsa, stated that after the warehouse operator opened the lock, the search operation was conducted in the warehouse belonging to Pramod Sah Kanu after completing all legal procedures.

During the search, smuggled clothes worth NPR 1.272 million, illegally stored, were recovered from the warehouse.

Sudden Attack While Transporting Clothes

SP Chhetri informed that as the recovered clothes were being loaded into the APF van to be taken to the Birgunj Customs Office, a mob of traders suddenly arrived from outside and began attacking the police.

Three APF personnel, including one Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), were injured in the attack. The APF stated that they returned to the office after receiving initial treatment. During the attack, two vehicles, including the vehicle used by the APF SP, had their windows shattered.

All the recovered clothes have been handed over to the Birgunj Customs Office for necessary action.

Reactions from Former Police Officials

Former police officials have interpreted the incident in Birgunj as a mockery of the rule of law. According to them, an attack on security personnel while seizing smuggled goods as per the law is a direct challenge to the state system.

Former Inspector General of Nepal Police, Sarbendra Khanal, stated that the attack on security personnel deployed for controlling smuggling raises serious questions about the rule of law. He commented that such an attack by traders during police action just before elections indicates that anarchy is growing within the country.

He said, 'If the raid was wrong, the path to seek legal remedy against it was open. One could have gone to court. But attacking in that manner is completely condemnable. This is a mockery of the rule of law.'

Meanwhile, Parsa District Police Chief Sudhipraj Pathak informed that the search for other individuals involved in the incident has been intensified, clarifying that anyone found guilty will be brought under the purview of the law.