RAUTAHAT, JULY 22

Police in Rautahat have seized 133 kilograms of marijuana from an abandoned vehicle near Jhajh Bridge in Garuda Municipality on Tuesday morning.

According to the Area Police Office, Garuda, the incident occurred around 8:30 AM during a routine traffic check in front of the Survey Office in Garuda Municipality-4, along the Gaur-Chandrapur road section. A red Brezza car (Ba. 3 Cha 6896), heading from Chandrapur toward Tawa, attempted to evade police and sped off, prompting a chase.

The vehicle was later found abandoned about 10 feet below the road in a grassy area west of Jhajh Bridge. The driver fled the scene, police confirmed.

Upon inspection, police found 13 plastic-wrapped packages hidden in the car's trunk. The packages contained a substance resembling marijuana, weighing 133 kilograms in total, said DSP Rajan Karki of the Area Police Office, Garuda.

'We had received special information and coordinated with the traffic team to set up the checkpoint,' said DSP Karki. 'However, upon noticing police, the driver accelerated, dumped the vehicle into the roadside bushland, and escaped through nearby sugarcane fields. Search efforts are ongoing, and we expect to apprehend the suspect soon.'

Police have impounded the vehicle and are continuing their investigation.