A patrol party comprising at least 13 jawans of the Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) was detained by Nepali border guards after the group “inadvertently” crossed over to the other side chasing suspected smugglers along the India-Nepal border in Bihar’s Kishanganj district.The incident occurred at about 7.30am on Sunday when the patrol party saw suspicious activity along the Ambari-Kesna border post and began a ‘hot pursuit’ of the suspected smugglers.
The SSB personnel were handed over back to India in the afternoon:
Officials said the party followed the lead team of two jawans, identified as Constables Roshan and Ramprasad of the 12th SSB battalion deployed in the area, and “inadvertently” crossed over to the other side by about 50 metres into Khuntanmani village after which villagers surrounded it. The squad was handed over to Nepal border guarding troops of Armed Police Force (APF) which brought them to their border post in Jhapa district of Nepal, they said.Officials said the SSB patrol team led by a Sub-Inspector was on vigil in the area since early morning as the force had seized about 1,500 litres of diesel being allegedly smuggled to the other side Saturday evening. “Last night, our teams seized about 1,500 litres of diesel which was being smuggled from the same area on the border and hence the patrol party was on alert,” SSB Inspector General (Operations) Deepak Kumar said.
Representational image of Nepalese Armed Police personnel | Source: Reuters
Nepal has blamed India for the blockade, claiming it is supporting the Madhesis — a disadvantaged group in Nepal that is ethnically, linguistically and culturally linked to the people of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
The paramilitary force guards the 1,751 km-long open frontier with Nepal.