Kavre, April 6

Transaction of illegal drugs has increased in Kavre of late.

On March 31, police arrested Sajan Shrestha, 25, of Koshipari, Bhumlu Rural Municipality-8 with 450 nitravet-10 tablets from Dolalghat.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police at District Police Office, Kavre, Dipak Giri, Shrestha was arrested acting on a tip-off.

“Just a day before Shrestha’s arrest, we had held Arjun Gharti Magar of Panchthar Municipality-7 with 50 gram marijuana and nitravet-10 tablets,” said the DSP, adding both Giri and Gharti had been kept in police custody.

Similarly, earlier on December 31 last year, police had arrested Saroj Kumar Meheta of Sunsari, 20, and an Indian national Manoj Kumar Meheta, 21, with 750 nitravet-10 tablets and other illegal drugs from Mangaltar of Namobuddha Municipality-7. Police had arrested the duo from a bus heading for Banepa from Biratnagar.

Police filed a drug case against them.

Area Police Office of Banepa, acting on a tip-off, had arrested seven persons from different places of Banepa with 82 strips of nitravet tablets on December 28 last year and in January 1 of 2019.

In view of the latest arrests, police suspect that the drug peddlers are making Banepa a transit point.

“Our investigation has shown that the illegal drugs used by school and college students come from India through Tarai districts and is sold in Banepa, Kathmandu and other cities and towns,” said SP Rabiraj Khadka at DPO.

A nitravet tablet is sold at up to Rs 1,500. One strip of the drugs has 15 tablets in it. The drug that is used to cure patients with sleep deprivation in India is banned in Nepal. As per the data, some 33 cases related to drugs smuggling have been filed and 62 persons have been arrested in those cases in the past three years, in the district.

Meanwhile, in the wake of the increased transaction of illegal drugs, police are planning to run a campaign to control drugs smuggling in the district.