Patna: Authorities have begun drone mapping of the “no man’s land” along the India–Nepal border adjoining Bihar in a bid to strengthen surveillance and curb cross-border smuggling, officials said on Monday.
The exercise is being used to identify sensitive locations, which are being marked as “hotspots” for enhanced monitoring. Encroachments within a 15-kilometre radius of the border are also being cleared as part of the ongoing operation.
Officials said surveillance has been stepped up on commercial establishments operating in the border belt, with a detailed scrutiny of their activities currently underway.
A special enforcement arrangement has been put in place, comprising four dedicated units of the Special Task Force (STF), supported by personnel from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and local police stations.
At a press briefing at the state police headquarters, STF deputy inspector generals Neeraj Kumar Singh and Sanjay Kumar outlined the scale of enforcement activity in the region.
Neeraj Kumar Singh said 128 cases related to illicit activity had been registered between January 1 and April 22 this year across border districts, resulting in 146 arrests. He added that around 6,000 kilograms of narcotics had been seized during the same period.
The STF is currently monitoring 13 subdivisions and 69 police stations across eight border districts. Authorities have also set up government-authorised money exchange centres in these areas to regulate cross-border financial activity.
Officials said the border continues to be used as a route for trafficking prohibited goods, including counterfeit currency, wildlife products, animal hides, livestock, fertiliser, cannabis, opium, poppy derivatives and other narcotic substances.
Sanjay Kumar also said STF and Bihar Police teams had been deployed to West Bengal to assist in security arrangements during elections there. He added that criminals from Bihar involved in offences in other states were being tracked and arrested as part of coordinated interstate operations.
