Kolkata, Sep 2 (IANS) The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) conducted a raid at a house near the India-Nepal border in the early hours of Wednesday and seized 952 grams of suspected brown sugar. The value of the narcotics could be more than Rs 40 lakh in the illicit market, officials said.

One person has been taken into custody in this connection.

“Around 5 a.m. on September 2, acting on specific information received from the intelligence setup of 41 Bn SSB, a joint operation was conducted by personnel of G Company, Bhatgaon, A Company, Nimuguri, and a team from Galgalia Police Station at the residence of Md Jalal (60), at Thika Toli, Galgalia, Kishanganj, Bihar. During the operation, 952 gms of suspected brown sugar was recovered in five packets from the house, with the help of a sniffer dog. A mobile detection kit verified it to be narcotics. A keypad mobile phone was also recovered from the accused,” a senior SSB official said.

During interrogation, Jalal allegedly disclosed that his son-in-law, named Md Shamshad Alam, is involved in the dealing of narcotics and the packets belonged to him. The police verified the facts and confirmed that Alam is a history sheeter and has been involved in several narcotics smuggling cases.

The seized packets, along with the accused and the phone, have been handed over to the Galgalia Police Station.

On August 30, a joint team of the SSB and police had apprehended a woman from Galgalia with 50 grams of brown sugar. She had revealed that her husband and son are involved in the drug trade.

Drug trafficking is rampant in the area close to the India-Nepal border. Criminals take advantage of the boundary between Bihar and West Bengal and the international border to carry out their nefarious activities, authorities said.

“Once they cross over into West Bengal, the Bihar Police have no jurisdiction and vice versa. The police have no jurisdiction close to the border, while the SSB can’t operate too far inside. The criminals are aware of this and take advantage,” another official said.

The unique nature of the border between India and Nepal also poses a problem for the enforcers. Citizens of both countries require no passports or visas to move across, and not everybody can be searched without a valid reason.

Cross-border trafficking of drugs also takes place. In the past, Indians have been apprehended in Nepal with drugs, while citizens of that country have been found in possession in India. The heavy tourist footfall in Nepal and the demand for banned substances is also an issue.

Officials suspect that several gangs operate in the area. Over time, better co-ordination has evolved between the various agencies, and there is regular information sharing. Intelligence networks have also been activated for information about criminals.

“Apart from maintaining vigil along the border, we co-ordinate with central and state agencies to prevent crime in the area. Locals are also regularly told to seek out help to keep the area crime-free for their own sake,” the SSB official added.

–IANS

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