While Nepali officials have largely been turning a blind eye to the smuggling in of fuel and cooking gas through the Indian border, SSB has been confiscating these vital items at the border.According to a reliable source, SSB confiscated around 1,000 liters of fuel and 50 cylinders of cooking gas on Sunday alone. The move comes amid the extreme shortage of petroleum products including cooking gas following the unofficial blockade imposed by the southern neighbor.
Locals said security at the border has been greatly tightened due to which they have been facing plenty of hassles of late. SSB personnel in plain clothes have been chasing away people attempting to smuggle fuel and gas through transit points from Murtiha to Jamuni.
"The Indian side intends to send SSB personnel in mufti into Nepal through the open border," claimed Birendra Tharu, a local.
However, Chief District Officer Binod Bahadur Kunwar claimed that he was not aware of the SSB being deployed in mufti. "I'm informed that goods of daily necessity have not been denied entry through the border," he said, adding that the district administration is taking steps to stop black-marketeering and strictly punish anyone found guilty.
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