DHANGADHI: The temporary headquarters of Province 7 Dhangadhi is being exploited as a ware-house for contraband. Moreover, there has been a rise in smuggling and drug trade in the region. Due to close proximity to the Nepal-India border, smugglers have used Dhangadhi as a transit point for hauling drugs back and forth from India and Nepal.
According to the District Police Office Kailali, it has been found that drug traders have been transporting drugs from Dhangadhi and Tikapur to Kathmandu. Four active smugglers of the region were held recently from Kathmandu, Deputy Superintendent of Police at DPO, Bir Bahadur Budhamagar informed.
Apart from hashish and marijauna produced in the region, drug smugglers have used Dhangadhi as a warehouse for modern drugs brought from India.
“The hashish coming in from hilly areas of the Province is smuggled to Indian Capital Delhi and Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow,” Budhamagar said.
In this backdrop, the police have deployed teams in various parts of the region to implement a curbing campaign against drug trade and use.
With the initiation of the campaign, the police team led by Head Constable Kam Dev Bhandari has arrested seven people on charges of involvement in drug trade.
“Our investigation shows that an organised criminal group is running the drug trade,” Bhandari said, “They haul hashish across the border to India and bring brown sugar, various tablets and other drugs to Nepal.”
Likewise, 38 people have been arrested from Tikapur in Kalali District recently for alleged involvement in drug smuggling and trade.
Females are also equally involved in the trade of contraband, police informed.
According to a police officer, females were used as mules to smuggle drugs in and out in relatively high numbers than males.
“The drug traders have used females in an organised manner to transport drugs,” the officer said, “We have kept a watch on number of females in line with our suspicions.”
According to the District Police Office, till April of the current fiscal, 46 cases related to smuggling have been registered. Moreover, the arrestees were detained in possession of large amount of hashish and other contrabands, DPO informed.