KAPILVASTU: Kapilvastu police carried out a midnight raid on eight trucks and seized 171 oxen being smuggled to Jhapa and Hetaunda.

Acting on a tip-off, the Chandrauta Area Administration Office under the leadership of Jagadish Aryal stopped the oxen being smuggled from India and seized the loaded animals.

The animals were being imported to Nepal with fake documents.

The smuggling racket was planning to supply the oxen to Jhapa and Hetaunda via Butwal and Narayangadh.

Kapilvastu has become a hub for ox smuggling in recent times.