Province 2 Police Office has formed a three-member team led by Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasai to investigate the incident.

Unlike last year, the local federal units in Province 2 have not set up quarantine and isolation facilities, nor initiated contact tracing and mass testing, health workers say.

Jagarnathpur Rural Municipality in Parsa has urged authorities to dispatch a team of medical specialists after scores of villagers were down with coronavirus-like symptoms.

The hospital is struggling to cope with the surge in cases due to a shortage of beds and other necessary supporting infrastructure.

Health workers are worried about a possible outbreak of Covid-19 in the province that shares a 460-kilometre-long open border with India.

The victim had sustained serious injuries on his head, and died while undergoing treatment at Birgunj based-LS Neuro Hospital on Friday morning.

The contraband was found in the apartment of an Indian national on Saturday.

An inspection team from Paterwa Sugauli Rural Municipality found health workers in all four health posts of the local unit absent from duty for over a week without informing authorities.

Around 150 women had reached the District Police Office on Thursday to receive relief but had to return empty-handed.

As many as 85 Covid-19 patients have died in the province as of Sunday, according to the Social Development Ministry in Janakpur.

All financial and administrative works have been put on hold leaving local units unequipped to fight Covid-19.

But experts say that a shortage of chemical fertilisers may play spoilsport.

Authorities have decided to heighten surveillance along Nepal-India border and expand tests and contact tracing.

PCR tests have been halted at the Narayani Hospital in Birgunj since Monday for a lack of compatible PCR test kits.

None of the concerned stakeholders have taken initiatives to stop the haphazard extraction, say locals.