DADELDHURA: An APF patrol stationed in Dadeldhura base camp last night detained four persons with seven sacks of hashish from Bhalumare area of Amagadhi Municipality-6. Scores of others, many of them wielding guns, escaped, police said.

Dal Bahadur Garu Dhami, Bir Bahadur Dhami, Mahabir Bohara and Karna Bahadur

Dhami of Bhanchaur VDC of Bajhang district were among those arrested.

Police sources confirmed the arrest of the four who were heading towards Barmadev of Kanchanpur district with seven sacks full of Hashish.

The detainees have been lodged at the APF base camp in Dadeldhura, APF inspector Narendrasingh Dhami said. APF men detained the smugglers with the information provided by the local youths.

Inspector Dhami further said there could be more than 30 smugglers who escaped during the night raid.

APF men said they were encircling the smugglers, but the later retaliated by opening fire at them. The details, however,

are sketchy as to how so many smugglers managed to flee

the scene.

Meanwhile, the APF has been accused of not giving proper information to the Nepal Police on the incident.

Talking to mediapersons, police inspector Tulasi Aryal

of Nepal Police, District Police Office, expressed his ignorance about the absconding

smugglers.

“I don’t know anything. I am not informed about it,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that the police who were kept alert that night heard the bullet shots at some distance.

Neither the police nor the CDO is aware of the armed smugglers numbering more than 30 continuing to operate their business in the district.

When asked, CDO Rajendra Prasad Ghimire said he was unaware of it until Saturday afternoon. DSP Chakra Bahadur Singh, said the smugglers along with hashish, would be made public tomorrow.