Betel nut smugglers move to Birgunj

BIRGUNJ, OCT 23 -

Smugglers of betel nuts to India have moved their operations to Birgunj after their regular routes through the eastern and western borders became too hot. The police said illegal traders began using the southern commercial hub as a “transit point” after they tightened security along the eastern and western borders.

Meanwhile, smuggling of betel nuts intensified during the Dashain holidays when the administration was occupied with celebrating the festival. The police have detained nine Indians along with 90 sacks of betel nuts being transported to India from Birgunj. The smugglers were carrying the bags of betel nuts on 11 bicycles.

Last Thursday, two tractors loaded with betel nuts were seized by the police from Sirsiya Khalwa Tol, some 500 m from the main customs point in Birgunj. Similarly, the police confiscated three tractors loaded with betel nuts from Gamrahiya, Raxaul on Friday morning, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Jitendra Pandey.

Since mid-August, the Parsa Police have confiscated 226 quintals of betel nut, said Dhiraj Pratap Singh, superintendent of police in Parsa. During the same period, the Indian police too caught around 200 quintals of betel nuts from railway stations in Motihari, Raxaul and on the national highway. Traders said that the betel nuts are transferred to various cities across India once they cross the Nepal border.

Betel nuts, which are priced at Rs 15,000 per quintal in Nepal, fetch Rs 20,800 upon arrival in India. “Traders stash bags of betel nuts in different villages near the border and slip them into India after darkness,” said a police officer. Chapkaiya, Bhakuwa, Aalau Bhiswa and Janaki Tol in Birgunj are the major smuggling points.

Sources said that even big business firms were involved in illegal exports. An estimated Rs 1 billion worth of betel nuts are smuggled into India annually. Traders said that smuggling betel nuts was highly profitable when demand rises in India. “Last year, police raids found that children and women were being used to smuggle betel nuts ,” a trader said. “This year, they are being smuggled by using tractors and bribing the police.”

As demand for tobacco products and gutkha is high in India, Nepali traders import betel nuts from third countries and smuggle them to India.

Since Nepali agro products enjoy preferential treatment of close to zero tariff in different countries, traders import betel nuts and re-export them to India passing them off as Nepali products at massive profits.

Source: The KathmanduPost