The police have intensified patrolling of border areas following a surge in smuggling.

As the Birgung customs point has remained closed for more than three months due to the Tarai unrest and India’s trade embargo, traders have resorted to smuggling to bring in goods.

The police have been confiscating smuggled goods worth millions of rupees on a daily basis. The Parsa district police have seized goods worth Rs9 million over the last three and half months.

On Sunday, they confiscated zinc sheets worth Rs300,000.  Superintendent of Police Raju Babu Shrestha said they handed over the seized zinc sheets to the regional office of the Revenue Department in Pathlaiya.

Last week, the police had impounded textiles worth Rs600,000 and electronic products worth Rs200,000. Police Inspector Ain Bahadur Malla said they held a Tata Sumo driver who was shipping 200 pieces of smuggled kurta-salwar and loose textiles at Chhapkaiya-2, Birgunj.

Seeing higher profits, daily wage earners who lost their jobs due to the unrest and embargo have now turned to smuggling.

They use entry points where police patrolling is less to smuggle goods. Malla said the Birta police unit alone seized smuggled goods worth Rs1.5 million over the past week.

Traders have been using the Railway Road and Pragatinagar in Adarshanagar for illegal trading. Malla said cables, footwear, garments, vehicles parts and hardware were the major smuggle goods.

SP Shrestha said they have mobilised a special task force for controlling smuggling. “Police posts in border areas have also been asked to remain alert,” Shrestha said.