Troops recovered more than 1,500 bottles of soft drinks and a pair of air conditioners being moved without proper customs paperwork along the India-Nepal border in Bahraich, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) said on Saturday.
Deputy Commandant of the 42nd Battalion, Dilip Kumar, said a pick‑up vehicle bound for Nepal was signalled to stop during a routine check at the BIT check post in Rupaidiha on Thursday night. The driver tried to break through the barricade and flee but was intercepted. Officials recovered 1,575 bottles of soft drinks, each of 2.25 litres. The driver could not produce valid customs documents and, during questioning, identified the goods as belonging to Pintu Pradhan. The vehicle and merchandise were seized and handed to the Customs Office in Nanpara.
In a separate interception near Border Pillar Number 656 the same day, an SSB patrol recovered two LG split air conditioners being transported into Nepal on bicycles. One alleged smuggler, identified as Munnu of Nanpara, was apprehended; another suspect escaped. The two air conditioners and the bicycles were also handed over to the Customs Department.
