Motihari: Arrested Indian Mujahideen operative Yasin Bhatkal and his associate used to take advantage of the unhindered passage on the Indo-Nepal border, 110 km of which lay in Bihar.
Interrogation of Bhatkal and his associate, Asadulla Akhtar alias Haddi, after their arrest from Nahar Chowk in Raxual sub-division of East Champaran district on Thursday revealed that they frequently travelled between the two countries without facing any problem.
Local people said that one has to spent as little as Rs 35 to reach Birganj in Nepal from Raxual in Bihar, a four-kilometre distance, by cycle-rickshaw.
Three-wheelers standing in queue on either side of the border charged Rs 12 for each passenger for the same distance.
No passport or any travel document were required for passage between the two countries.
Though the District Level Coordination Committee meeting was scheduled every three months, it mainly deliberated on issues concerning encroachment and border pillars.
Reports said that many of the pillars on the border were damaged.
Vikram Singh Thakur, Commander of Sahastra Seema Bal, 13 battalion, entrusted with the security of the border for 110 km from Ghorasahan to Sikta in contiguous West Champaran district, told PTI “free movement of people through the open border is indeed creating a problem.”
