Araria (Bihar): In a joint operation conducted by police and SSB personnel, a hawala trader was arrested at Jogbani, a town on tne India-Nepal border, in Araria district of Bihar and Nepali rupees amounting to 12 lakh was recovered from him. A bike was also seized.
Laxman Kumar Sah, 29, was caught in the joint operation by Jogbani police and SSB 56th Corps personnel near Chanakya Chowk in Jogbani. He is resident of Budhnagar in Biratnagar, Nepal. Police and SSB issued a statement saying that they conducted the operation after they received information that a hawala trader was going to Nepal with a huge amount of money.
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Security personnel were deployed at a checkpoint adjacent to Nepal. The hawala trader, who was trying to enter Nepal on a Nepal-registered bike via Chanakya Chowk, started fleeing after seeing the security personnel. The security personnel then chased and caught him. Nepal rupees 12 lakh was recovered from under Sah's helmet and bike seat.
"The arrested person was interrogated. He says that Rs 4 lakh is from a cooperative bank. The remaining Rs 8 lakh is for smuggling of black pepper, arecanut and peas. He said that he took the money from one Lalit of Jogbani at the behest of Rupesh, a businessman of Forbesganj. Investigation is going on in this matter,” Aftab Ahmed, Station House Officer of Jogbani, said.