Surkhet, 10 Jul: Surkhet Police has launched a special campaign to control drug abuse, illegal sexual activities, gambling, and other unlawful practices. The “Operation Clean” campaign was initiated under the leadership of Superintendent of Police (SP) Sudhir Raj Shahi, who recently took charge in Surkhet. The operation aims to curb illegal activities in Birendranagar, the capital, and across the district.
At a press conference held on Thursday, SP Shahi shared updates on major actions taken since the beginning of his tenure. “Drug abuse, gambling, and prostitution have emerged as major social problems in Surkhet,” SP Shahi stated. “To control these, we have adopted a zero-tolerance policy and given the matter top priority.”
According to him, in the past two and a half months, the police have seized 35 grams and 340 milligrams of brown sugar, 17 grams and 360 milligrams of hashish, and 5 kilograms and 640 grams of opium. A total of 44 individuals, including 5 women, have been arrested in connection with drug trafficking. Similarly, in relation to gambling, 21 individuals have been arrested in 4 separate cases and legal action has been initiated against them.
Similarly, 29 individuals involved in illegal sexual activities have been arrested and brought under legal proceedings. Among those arrested are 12 men, 12 women, and 3 hotel operators who were found to be running sex work as a business.
During the investigation, alarming facts emerged: one of the arrested women was found to be HIV positive, as was one of the hotel operators involved in the case.
SP Shahi stated, “Based on complaints and information received from various sectors of society, we have adopted a zero-tolerance approach toward these social evils. Particularly, we have intensified operations based on reports that commercial sex work is being run out of hotels.”
Drug Trafficker Caught With Opium Worth Millions
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the District Police Office in Surkhet arrested a person in possession of 5.54 kilograms of processed opium during its anti-narcotics operation. The estimated value of the seized opium is said to be in the millions in the international market.
The arrested individual has been identified as 46-year-old Jay Bahadur Basnet from Junichande Rural Municipality–10 of Jajarkot district. According to Chief Shahi, the seizure was made from Chinchhu after long-term surveillance, intelligence gathering, and analysis. Basnet was caught while transporting the opium hidden in a black bag.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that the opium was collected from various places in Jajarkot and was being prepared for smuggling into India,” Shahi said. “The market price per kilo is around NPR 100,000 locally, more than double that in Nepalgunj, and it can fetch crores per kilo in India. This appears to be part of a large network, and we are continuing our investigation to uncover the full chain.”
Police also recovered from Basnet a digital scale, NPR 4,720 in cash, a citizenship certificate, bank vouchers, and cheques.
Gambling Den Raided in Birendranagar
On the same day, police also raided a gambling den operated at ‘Tasty Khaja Ghar’ in Hatiyaline, Birendranagar, by one Teerth Raj Bhegmi. Five individuals were arrested while gambling, and police recovered NPR 34,647 in cash along with playing cards. Further investigation is underway.
