Nepali workers being robbed at border

NEPALGUNJ, Oct 5: Nepali workers returning home from India for Dashain are being robbed in the bordering Indian towns.

Around half a dozen Nepalis returning to Nepal from Rupaidiya checkpoint have been robbed less than three weeks after Deepak Thapa and Ajay KC of Naubasta-8 returning from Jayanagar, India were doped and robbed.

"There has been increase in robbing of Nepalis returning home to celebrate festival after working in different parts of India," The in-charge of bordering Jamunaha police post, Bharat Singh Rathour, said. "We don´t know how to stop such robberies," Rathour conceded.

Thapa and KC of Naubasta-8 were doped inside the train and the robbers made away with the duo´s Indian Rs 24,000 and their baggage on September 11. Police had found the duo in an unconscious state inside the train in Rupaidia and handed over to the relatives.

Many Nepali workers are being drugged and robbed inside the train while others are being looted immediately after they alight from the bus in Rupaidia. "It is hard to identify the persons who commit robberies in the train. But most of those who rob Nepali workers in Rupaidia are rickshaw pullers and cart pullers," Rathour added. He said police have arrested two rickshaw pullers who had robbed a Dailekh youth of Indian Rs 6,000 a few days ago.

Over 200 persons have been returning to Nepal from India through Rupaidia checkpoint every day, accoridng to police.

Police said rickshaw pullers have also been charging exhorbitant fare on Rupaidia-Nepalgunj route. "They charge up to Rs 1,000 though the actual charge is just Rs 100," Rathour reasoned.

Police say such cheated workers don´t lodge complaints and claimed the number of persons being cheated by rickshaw pullers can be very high. "We can not control the situation unless we mobilize Nepali policemen at the bus and railway stations in Rupaidia," Rathour said.

Similarly Indian policemen have also been extorting from Nepali workers. "An Indian policeman forcefully took away IRs 100 in pretence of checking my identity card," complained Ramji Raut who was returning home after working for 14 months in Mumbai.

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