Rautahat, April 4

Police have seized 200 Indian vehicles from different places of Rautahat in the last four months. The vehicles were seized after they were not able to produce supporting documents.

According to District Police Office Rautahat, 32 jeeps and 150 motorcycles were seized.

Police said criminal activities have increased after the federal parliamentary poll ended.

Thus, the police team took the initiative to seize Indian vehicles without documents. District Police Office added that the seized vehicles were sent to Central Revenue Office, Pathlaiya for further investigation.

SP Yaghya Binod Pokhrel said stolen vehicles enter the country due to the open border with India. Vehicles, which were bought in the Indian markets at a very cheap price, are plying inside Nepal. It’s reported that most locals from Gaur and Chandrapur use such vehicles which they bought from India at a price three times less than normal price.

Besides locals, leaders from different political parties, Province Assembly members, former parliament members, newly elected mayors and deputy mayors, chairs of rural municipalities, among others, have been using vehicles with Indian number plates openly. Vehicles with Indian number plates are moving around freely in Nepal without permission from the authorities concerned.

SP Pokhrel said the police team had seized scorpio, marshal, sumo, pick-up vans and bolero after they could not produce original documents, but vehicles with original documents were plying on Nepali territory. He said the police were facing problems managing security due to the presence of Indian vehicles in rural areas. Police have a very difficult time searching for vehicles with Indian number plates if they flee after an accident or other criminal activities.

Police said that Indian motorcycles have been used to smuggle stolen materials from border areas. As many as three Indian motorcycles loaded with illegal clothes worth of Rs five lakh were seized, said police.