Home Minister Receives Complaint of Collusion in Smuggling at Kakarbhitta Border

Biratnagar. A commotion ensued after a woman complained to Home Minister Sudhan Gurung that smuggling was being carried out with collusion in the eastern border area of Kakarbhitta and Mechi Customs Office.

Bandana Mechhe, a woman from Kakarbhitta, complained to Minister Gurung, who was inspecting the border area on Sunday, that organized smuggling was taking place.

Mechhe, standing in front of the Home Minister, explained how the security forces' 'informants' extort money monthly and how they facilitate goods for big smugglers by harassing small traders who do not pay.

She even named some police personnel involved in smuggling to the minister. 'Do they catch 10-20 kg of sugar and clothes brought by small traders like us, but salute and let go of crore-worth goods-laden black vehicles coming in with collusion? What kind of administration is this, Mr. Minister?' she questioned.

Following the woman's complaint, Home Minister Gurung took immediate action. During the inspection of Mechi Customs Office, he kept the security forces inside a closed room for interrogation, leaving the Chief District Officer Shiva Ram Gelal, Customs Chief Shiva Lal Neupane, and other administrative officials outside.

During the discussion, the Home Minister instructed DSP Nishesh Chapagain of Kakarbhitta Area Police Office and DSP Bikash Thapa of Armed Police to place their mobile phones on the table. According to sources, the Home Minister ordered the immediate seizure of both DSPs' mobile phones for investigation and sent them to the 'forensic lab' (forensic science laboratory).

Security sources informed that the call details, WhatsApp chats, and conversations with smugglers on those mobile phones would be examined.

Sources also claim that the mobile phones of Senior Head Constable Shyam Chaudhary and Assistant Head Constable Narayan Kharel, deployed at the Jor-Simbal checkpoint in the border area of Mechi Municipality, were also confiscated. It is claimed that they directly communicate with smugglers and decide when to let which vehicle cross the border.

'Police do not check vehicles with black tinted windows carrying smuggled goods even when they are speeding at 90 kilometers per hour,' Mechhe had said. 'These vehicles may carry not only clothes and food items but also drugs and explosives.'

Meanwhile, DSP Nishesh Chapagain denied that the minister had seized his mobile phone. DIG Binod Ghimire, Chief of Province Police Office Biratnagar, also stated that he was unaware of the incident.

'This is a matter to be inquired about there. I did not go to Jhapa. I came to know about it through the media, just like you,' Ghimire said.

Home Minister Gurung, however, stated during the interrogation inside the customs office that the bank accounts and mobile messages of the officials would reveal everything. 'The days when the public suffered and a few individuals amassed illegal wealth through smuggling are now over,' he said.

Organized smuggling through borders like Jogmani in Biratnagar, Bhadrapur in Jhapa, and Kakarbhitta has been undermining domestic industries. This inspection by the Home Minister has exposed the existence of organized smuggling.

According to a customs official, the minister's activism has disrupted the smuggling line for the first time. 'Such fear was never seen before; the only question is how long this will last,' the official said.

According to security sources, a group of individuals named Manoj and Subodh are involved in the illegal trade of raw materials for gutkha, clothing, and banned dyes used in CTC tea from the area near Nepal Bank in the eastern part of Bhadrapur Municipality, Jhapa.

Large-scale smuggling takes place from south of the Armed Police Force (APF) camp. Individuals named Tula, Deepak, Bhima, Ganesh, Meghu, Ajay, and Rajan Dhusi are active here. Sources claim this group is primarily involved in the illegal import of clothing, vehicle parts, and fish.

Women are also equally involved in the smuggling network. A woman named Kala is smuggling clothes from the Satighatta border, while Sita's group manages the illegal trade of clothes at Rising Chowk and Milan Chowk (Bahundangi area). Similarly, sources claim that a woman named Usha leads the clothing smuggling from the waste management area and Mechi Danda.

In the Bahundangi area, Shyam Lama and Netra Subba are responsible for smuggling Sita's goods across the border using hidden paths near the 'Tung' (machans) built to ward off elephants in the Sadhugauda and Tiring areas.

Amidst a severe shortage of fertilizer in Nepal, 250 to 300 bags of urea fertilizer are being transported daily on bicycles from near the Bahundangi police post and around Mehta's house, according to sources.

Smugglers use small vehicles, bicycles, and porters to transport goods. Allegations have been made that the smuggling lines at dozens of borders in Jhapa, including Pashupatinagar, Tinep, and Joubari in Ilam, remain open due to the silent support of officials from both the Armed and Civil Police.