Kathmandu: Authorities have detained a truck and its driver for attempting to smuggle 210 sacks of sugar without paying customs duties. The truck, with registration number Lu 2 Kha 2836, was intercepted early this morning at around 2:30 AM in the Bethari area on the Bhairahawa-Lumbini road, according to the Bhairahawa Customs Office.

The driver, Shivkumar Yadav, has also been taken into custody. The truck, loaded with illegal sugar, was en route to Bhairahawa when it was seized by a team dispatched from the customs office. During questioning, Yadav, a resident of Tulshipur in Mayadevi Rural Municipality-2, initially claimed the truck was carrying rice. However, upon inspection, it was found to be loaded with sugar, as confirmed by Narad Gautam, the head of the Bhairahawa Customs Office.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the sugar was being transported from Tulshipur to Pokhara. The driver remains in custody for further investigation.

The seized sugar has been valued at NPR 630,000, excluding VAT, at a rate of NPR 64 per kilogram. The truck, valued at NPR 1,000,000, brings the total estimated value of the seizure to NPR 1,630,000, which has been recorded by the customs office.

This incident follows a similar seizure last Saturday, when the customs office also confiscated 210 sacks of smuggled sugar. The increased vigilance by the customs office has led to a series of arrests of those involved in smuggling activities.