KATHMANDU: The Armed Police Force (APF) has significantly increased its activity in border security, resulting in a sharp rise in the seizure of goods smuggled through customs fraud in Parsa district.
According to Radheshyam Dhimal, Commander of the APF’s No. 13 Battalion Headquarters, goods worth Rs 212.26 million were confiscated in the first six months of the current fiscal year. This marks a substantial increase from the same period last fiscal year when Rs 66.853 million worth of goods were seized.
The seized items include illegally imported clothes, electronics, hardware, motor parts, food, and groceries. To enhance its operations, the APF has deployed two trained sniffer dogs at the Birgunj customs checkpoint to aid in inspections.
Out of the total seizures this year, goods worth Rs 164.741 million have been handed over to the Birgunj Customs Office. Similarly, goods without invoices, valued at Rs 46.85 million, were transferred to the Revenue Investigation Office in Pathalaiya.
By comparison, during the first six months of the previous fiscal year (2023-24), the APF handed over goods worth Rs 47.7 million to the Birgunj Customs Office and Rs 98.269 million worth of goods without invoices to the Revenue Investigation Office.
Parsa district, which shares a 107-kilometer open border with India, remains a critical hotspot for customs fraud. The APF’s intensified border security efforts aim to curb such illegal activities effectively.
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