KATHMANDU: Police have arrested two Chinese nationals in possession of illegal drugs from Tumlingtar in Khandbari Municipality-9 of Sankhuwasabha district Sunday.

The arrestees were held from Buddha Hotel in Tumlingtar and are identified as Santong and Yu Qinglin, who are currently living in Tumlingtar, of Sichuan Province, China, said Sankhuwasabha District Police Office (DPO).

Acting on a tip-off, a joint police team deployed by the Sankhuwasabha DPO and Tumlingtar airport-based Police Post arrested the Chinese nationals with illegally brought ‘PBOG’ drugs that were hidden in Room No 502 of Buddha Hotel. The quantity of the drug seized was 800 kilograms.

The recovered PBOG has been sent to Drug Revenue Investigation Office, Itahari. Sankhuwasabha DPO said further investigation into the Chinese nationals is underway.

Thirty-three Chinese nationals entered the district through Sankhuwasabha’s Tumlingtar Airport to trade ‘rudrakshya’. Recently, Chinese citizens have been reaching Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur to trade the stonefruit, the dried stones of which are used as prayer beads by mostly Hindus.