Two arrested at Balthari Integrted Check-post

Alok Mishra

Gopalganj: Gopalganj police arrested two mafias, who were trying to cross two trucks stealthily at Balthari Integrated Check- post near Uttar Pradesh border. Police also recovered Rs. 44,000 cash from the possession of the arrested persons.

According to an eye-witnesses account, Gopalganj SP Ravi Ranjan reached the check- post in civies and introduced himself as a driver. Most of the officials of the Transport Department were sleeping at that time.  He asked the mafias to cough up Rs 45,000 cash for getting the trucks inside Bihar border and the deal was struck at Rs 25,000.

After that, the Gopalganj SP informed Kuchaikot police station SHO Mahendra Kumar about it. The SHO reached the spot and arrested the mafias from there and recovered Rs 44,000 cash from their possession. The arrested persons were identified as Rabindra Kumar, a native of village Soya under Krishnavaran police station in Buxar, and Arvind Kumar Rai, a native of village Thua under Barhara police station in Bhojpur district. The local police were  interrogating the arrested persons. An FIR was lodged on the statement of the local SHO.

If police sources are to believed, these mafias operate on UP-Bihar border allegedly in connivance with some employees of the Transport Department. Sources said without the connivance of employees officials of the Transport Department natives of Buxar and Bhojpur districts can’t operate in Gopalganj district.

It may be mentioned here that on August 27 night, Gopalganj DM Rahul Kumar and SP Ravi Ranjan had reached the check post and found that trucks from Uttar Pradesh were allowed to enter the district stealthily. Though the mafias fled away from after seeing the senior officials there, local police seized their bikes that they had left behind.  Two persons-Kundan Yadav and Bholu Gupta- were arrested after they tried to manhandle the cops. Since then, the senior officials had directed the local police to keep an eye on the activities at the said check-post, said a senior police officer.