Patna, Aug 5 (IANS) The 45th Battalion of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at Birpur has achieved a major success in its ongoing campaign against smuggling and illegal activities along the India-Nepal border, officials said.
In two separate operations, SSB personnel seized 100 Baofeng walkie-talkies and portable wireless devices, a Scorpio vehicle, and Nepalese currency worth Rs 2.63 lakh in Bihar’s Supaul, an official said on Wednesday.
Two people were apprehended in connection with the cases.
According to SSB Commandant Gaurav Singh, personnel deployed at the Niyor Border Outpost in Supaul district intercepted a suspicious Scorpio vehicle travelling towards Nepal on Tuesday night.
The driver was identified as Devanand Mishra, a resident of Saptari in Nepal.
During a search of the vehicle, the SSB team recovered two cartons containing 50 Baofeng walkie-talkies and 50 portable wireless devices, making a total of 100 communication devices.
The team also recovered an invoice issued by Maheshwari Traders in New Delhi’s Chandni Chowk in the name of Mahavir Electronics at Kunauli.
During questioning, the driver allegedly disclosed that he had been promised Rs 1,000 for transporting the consignment to Nepal.
As the required permission from the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing was reportedly unavailable, the SSB seized the communication equipment along with the Scorpio car.
The driver was subsequently handed over to the Dagmara Police Station for further legal action.
The recovery of such a large consignment of communication equipment has prompted heightened security concerns along the border.
Investigating agencies are examining how the devices reached the border area and whether they were being transported through courier channels under the guise of other goods.
A walkie-talkie had also reportedly been recovered from a smuggler on July 21.
In a separate operation, personnel from the Kataiya Border Outpost apprehended one Ravindra Yadav while he was entering India from Nepal.
A search of his belongings led to the recovery of Nepalese currency valued at Rs 2,63,000.
As Ravindra Yadav was unable to produce valid documents explaining the possession and transportation of the currency, the SSB seized the cash along with his bicycle.
The seized currency and bicycle were subsequently handed over to the Customs Office at Bhimnagar for further legal proceedings.
The two operations underline the SSB’s continued surveillance and enforcement efforts along the sensitive India-Nepal international border.
–IANS
ajk/khz
