Customs sleuths seize 14 trucks, seize Onion worth Rs 5 cr near Raxaul

Satish Aditya

Raxaul :  The Customs Department officials on November 21, 2019, late night, seized 14 trucks loaded with onion worth Rs 5 crore  near Raxaul on Indo-Nepal border in East Champaran District in North Bihar. The Customs Department has launched a drive to stop smuggling of Onion from Raxaul in East Champaran District to Birgunj  in Nepal.

All the drivers and helpers of trucks  were arrested and are being interrogated by Custom officials at Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran District.  The 14 drivers had no valid documents relating to their consignments.

Deputy Commissioner, Customs Division, Motihari,  Ashutosh Kumar Singh, said that the seizure was made on the direction of Customs Commissioner, Ranjit Kumar. The Customs officials of Motihari and Raxaul with SSB,  in a joint  action, seized 14 trucks near Raxaul  and the drivers did  not have any document relating to the consignments.

The smuggling of Onion is rampant these days  and  its price has gone up Rs 70 per kg in East Champaran but in Nepal it is available at Rs 120 per kg so it has become lucrative business  for smugglers. Around 200 tons onion are allegedly being smuggled from Raxaul, Adapur, Chhoradano , and  Ghorasahan  into Nepal territory as head load .