Sashastra Seema Bal Personnel Caught After Crossing into Nepal, Released

A group of personnel from the India's Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were briefly detained today by the Nepal police after they inadvertently crossed the border while chasing a gang of smugglers.

The smugglers were trying to take petro products into Nepal without going through border checks in Jhapa district bordering Bihar.  The SSB personnel, some of whom were not armed, had followed them. They were later released by the Nepal authorities.

Nepal's Armed Police Force (APF) personnel deployed at the Border Account Post at in Jhapa district, bordering Bihar's Kishanganj, arrested the SSB jawans around 6:30 am, according to Nepal Police sources. Four SSB jawans were carrying modern rifles, they said.

Assistant Chief District Officer Dambaru Prasad Niraula said they were handed over to the Indian side after an investigation into the incident.

The relation between India and Nepal has nosedived in recent months as Indian-origin Madhesis started a protest against Nepal's new Constitution. The protesters have blocked key border trade points with India, causing severe shortages of fuel and other essentials in the country.