Four policemen have been suspended for their alleged involvement in abetting smugglers in Bara and Parsa.

A police official told the Post requesting anonymity that the suspended security personnel were found taking money from smugglers to release goods that were illegally imported from India. The suspended policemen were the members of a patrol team in civvies who were deployed to control smuggling in the area.

There have been widespread complaints of late about security personnel’s involvement in smuggling of the contraband into Nepal through border points in Bara and Parsa districts.

The Central Regional Police Office says it has initiated investigation into the matter and instructed its subordinate units to take stringent action to curb smuggling.

DIG Ganesh KC on Sunday had called police chiefs of the two districts and instructed them to investigate into the complaints that security personnel were working in cahoots with smugglers.

“I have taken smuggling of the contraband seriously. I have already instructed all concerned units to control smuggling and investigate into the reported cases of smuggling,” DIG KC told the Post over phone.

Incidents of clashes between smugglers and security personnel have been on the rise in the area in recent days.

A week ago, a group of suspected smugglers had attacked a police patrol in Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City-1, Bara and made of with a shotgun. Four police officers were injured. The weapon was later recovered from a brick kiln near the incident site.