KATHMANDU: 9 February, 9:00 am. Customs authorities received a tip-off that a large quantity of goods smuggled from India had been brought into Adarshanagar, Ward No. 10 of Birgunj Metropolitan City. Acting on the information, a 20-member Customs Security Police team led by an Armed Police Force Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) moved to Adarshanagar, about one and a half kilometers from the Indian border.

The team reached the house of Madan Prasad Gupta in Adarshanagar, where a clothing shop named Babita Enterprises was operating. The shop was run by Pramod Kumar Kanu.

When customs officials and police attempted to inspect the shop, Gupta and Kanu initially refused to cooperate. “They agreed to open the shutter only after 15–20 minutes of being called repeatedly,” said Mohan Chhetri, Superintendent of Police of the Armed Police Force in Parsa.

Kanu was present when the shop’s shutter was opened. The shop contained sarees and kurtas. Customs officials and Armed Police personnel examined the bills and invoices. When the required documents for the clothes could not be produced, the team began seizing the goods. The confiscated items were worth Rs 1.275 million.

“By then, 30–40 people had gathered outside,” SP Chhetri said.

As soon as the Armed Police truck carrying the seized goods moved ahead, the crowd began pelting stones at the vehicle and the police. “We had barely moved a little when the attack suddenly began,” Chhetri said. “Three police personnel were injured.”

According to police, eight people, including shop operator Kanu, have been arrested in connection with the incident so far. The house owner, Gupta, identified as the alleged mastermind, is absconding. Police have obtained arrest warrants from the court against a total of 21 individuals.

Seven of those detained are being investigated on charges of criminal disturbance and attempted homicide. One person has been released on the condition that he appears when summoned. “We are investigating 21 individuals in total, most of whom are absconding,” said Hari Bahadur Basnet, spokesperson for Parsa Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police.

According to police, Adarshanagar has long been considered a transit point for smuggling. A network involved in bringing goods from India without paying customs duties and selling them in Nepal has been active there for a long time. Gupta is said to be one of them. Police allege that he would bring in the goods, store them at Babita Enterprises, and then distribute them within Nepal.

“We had information that women were often used to carry one or two sets of clothes each into Birgunj shops for sale,” said SP Khatri. “The attack occurred when we tried to control illegal cross-border smuggling in the border area.”

Police and customs officials had previously seized smuggled goods from Adarshanagar, but such an incident had not occurred before. Uday Singh Bista, Information Officer at the Birgunj Customs Office, said, “Goods had occasionally been confiscated before, but that day traders incited a mob.”

According to police, Adarshanagar has long been considered a transit point for smuggling. A network involved in bringing goods from India without paying customs duties and selling them in Nepal has been active there for a long time.

Given the risks involved in controlling illegal activities, customs officials usually take police personnel along during operations. To curb customs evasion at the border, a team led by an Armed Police DSP is deployed. If necessary, they may also seek assistance from Nepal Police.

Following the incident, anticipating that tensions surrounding cross-border smuggling could escalate, the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have tightened security at border checkpoints in Adarshanagar and other areas along the frontier. “We have increased patrols and deployed personnel in sensitive locations after assessing the activities of organized smuggling groups,” said Naresh Raj Subedi, Superintendent of Police and chief of Parsa Police.

The fact that smugglers carried out a violent attack against police officers themselves is being viewed as a serious security lapse. “An incident that began at a single shop near the border has now raised questions about whether the law is strong at the border or the smugglers are,” said former Deputy Inspector General of Police Ramesh Kharel. “At a time when police morale appears to be low, such groups seem to have become active.” He claimed that during his tenure as Parsa Police chief, Madan Prasad Gupta had also been involved in smuggling chemical fertilizers from India, but that police had neutralized those operations at the time.

Kharel further argued that illegal cross-border smuggling tends to increase particularly during election periods and that there may also be weaknesses within the police in such cases. “During elections, widespread smuggling takes place along the border. Corrupt police personnel benefit from it. Otherwise, such groups would not dare to attack,” he said. “The very presence of smuggled goods in a warehouse reflects police inaction.”

However, Mohan Chhetri, Superintendent of Police of the Armed Police Force in Parsa, rejected claims of negligence on the part of the Armed Police. “The incident occurred while we were returning after completing the seizure documentation and loading the goods onto the vehicle. Legal action is being taken against those responsible. The police are committed to preventing such incidents,” Chhetri said. “It is wrong to blame the police based on isolated incidents.”