By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : A massive robbery at an Indian joint venture in southern Nepal rocked the kingdom’s industrial capital with armed bandits making off with brass goods weighing over 25 tonnes and worth over NRS 10 million (over $157,000).
The robbery at Pashupatinath Industries in Birgunj in Nepal’s frontier Bara district is one of the largest ever with over 50 people arriving around 2 a.m. in a 10-tonne truck to cart away brass rods and other equipment.
“We had planned to increase our exports to India to 150-200 tonnes monthly,” Ram Shrestha, Nepali partner of the venture, told IANS.
“We had kept the consignment ready for export to India.
“Around 50-55 people arrived in the early morning in a huge truck, overpowered the guards and other employees, disconnected telephone lines and made off with goods weighing about 25 tonnes.”
Though police sealed off all exits from Birgunj at 5 a.m., Shrestha estimates the gang had plenty of time to escape.
According to the employees, the bandits spoke in Bhojpuri, Hindi and Nepali, which gives rise to the possibility of criminals from both sides of the India-Nepal border being involved.
Started six years ago, Pashupatinath Industries is a joint venture between Shrestha and Mumbai resident Kinjan Vasant.
Shrestha said the robbery would send out wrong signals to investors.
“If people can come in a truck and cart away such heavy goods, it shows there is no law and order in Nepal,” he said.
“The government says it has deployed a special task force in the Terai to improve security. But there has been no improvement in the law and order situation.”
The robbery follows the murder of an Indian businessman in the Terai Wednesday.
Laloo Miyan, 36, a resident of Madhubani district in India’s Bihar state, was gunned down at a busy market place in Sunsari district.
Miyan was returning home after visiting his brother in law in Nepal, police said.
Angry residents shut down the market in protest after the murder. But till Thursday, police had not been able to nab the attackers, who were said to have fled on a motorcycle.