Kathmandu, June 15

The Metropolitan Police Range, Hanumandhoka has launched a ‘seal and search’ operation to curb hooliganism and production of a home-made liquor regarded as major causes behind various crimes in the capital valley.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and in-charge of MPR, Hanumandhoka, Jaya Bahadur Chand talking to The Rising Nepal on Friday said, the seal and search operation was conceptualized after the valley started witnessing serious natures of crimes like gun shooting, rise in illegal alcohol production and use of small weapons illegally.

The seal and search operation is also focused in controlling the production of home-made alcohol which is heavily flourishing in various parts of the valley. Police have assumed that there are currently more than 200 such alcohol production houses which are running in business form.

Under the operation, MPR has recently given direction to its unit police offices like sectors and circles of the valley to beef up their massive search operation in the directed sectors.

Police have also beefed up their operation in around campus areas as students of the government campuses were found possessing weapons like khukuris, rod and pistols. The recent gun shooting incident in which Tri-chandra campus-based student leader Basanta Shahi was critically injured proved the use of small weapons trends in campus areas.

"We are not allowed to enter inside the campuses and nor have rights to do search inside the campuses," said SSP Chand. The operation has given special focus outside the campus areas where there is possibility of hooliganism, clash between two opposite political ideology carrying student unions.

SSP Chand said that at the very first phase of the operation, we have been carrying out operation to make a raid in such places where the productions of home-made alcohol were going on.

Coinciding to ‘seal and search operations’, a team of 60 policemen deployed from the Metropolitan Police Sector, Kamalpohari on Thursday raided 10 small huts at Bhatkya pool near Handigaun of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-5, where there destroyed 25000 litres of home-made alcohol.

Kiran Jung Kunwar, police inspector and in-charge of the Sector told that the raid went on for 5 hours from 8:30 am this morning.

Inspector Kunwar said policemen were provided extra security force from the municipal police of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in coordination of excise duty office under Inland Revenue Department.

Police arrested seven persons including six women and a man after they were caught red-handed from the alcohol production centre.

The arrestees were most of all from Sherpa community who hardly speaks Nepali language.

The arrestees include Jima Lyamhu Sherpa, 45, of Sankhuwasabha district, Laxmi Limbu, 65, of Panchthar district, Rina Sherpa, 40, of Sankhuwasabha district, Ganga Lama, 32, Aangmo Sherpa, 45, Bimala Rai, 27, and Lakpa Lama of Sankhuwasabha district.

Inspector Kunwar said they were running their business for the past eight years. Police during raid found very unhygienic adulterated raw materials used for making an alcohol.

Materials like intestines of different dead animals, plastics, spoiled breads, animal’s fats, and spoiled rice were found used in making the alcohol.

Police have also sealed the huts after their raids and seized all machinery products that used for making alcohol.

Inspector Kunwar said the arrestees would be initiated action from the Inland Revenue Office.