MUMBAI: Smuggling of black pepper into India from Nepal is growing in the past few months. District Police Office, Bara, on Friday seized a mini-truck after finding 60 quintals of black pepper being smuggled to India. Police stopped the truck for surprise inspection at a bordering village in Pacharauta Municipality-9.
Bara Police had deputed a team led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Bhuvanehswar Prasad Sah after receiving tip-off that black pepper brought from Birgunj was being smuggled to India.
The black pepper is worth around Rs 12 million, according to the police.
Earlier on March 21, police had seized a pickup truck carrying 50 sacks of black pepper from Simraungadh. A police team led by Sub Inspector Shyam Kishor Yadav of Area Police Office, Mahendra Adarsha, also arrested the driver, Deepak Pokharel of Hariban Municipality-8.
Likewise, in December last year, police seized 110 sacks of black pepper.
In the past few months, police have seized over 150 quintals of black pepper being smuggled to India.
Alarmed by increasing smuggling of black pepper into India, police have intensified inspection in bordering villages of Bara. Police have already seized black pepper worth millions of rupees while they were being smuggled to India, according to Raj Kumar Baidawar, Superintendent of Police of District Police Office, Bara.
Baidawar added that black pepper from third countries first enters Nepal illegally through porous border. It is then smuggled to India from villages where security personnel are not present.
