Bara . Armed police deployed at Border Out Post (BOP) Pacharota with a buffalo trader in Bara have returned the bribe amount of Rs 40,000. Post’s Armed Police Inspector Singh Vir (Sagar) Malla called the businessman’s brother Gajendra Yadav at his office on Tuesday and returned the money.

While Dayali Yadav of Pacharauta Municipality-3 was buying six buffaloes and calves from the village and taking them to Narayangadh Bazaar in Chitwan, the Armed Police Force arrested the buffaloes and a vehicle from near Kotwali village on Monday night and released them after taking Rs 40,000 as bribe. Police had taken bribe from Yadav saying that he had brought buffaloes from India.

The BOP was set up for border security only a few months ago in Pacharauta municipality, which is connected to Dasagja. The amount was returned by the police after a commotion broke out in the village. According to Yadav, BOP’s Armed Police Inspector Malla and Jawan Nanda Kishore Thakur took bribe. Yadav also has audio records of money transactions. A buffalo loaded on a vehicle (Pradesh 2-03001CH 1923) was seized from 7/8 km north of Nepal-India Dasgaja.

The trader said that the buffalo was released after bargaining started from Rs 55,000 and Rs 40,000 was agreed upon. The trader said that he paid Rs 40,000 to the police in Benauli Bazaar on the same night after the police asked him to import buffaloes from India. The import of four-legged animals from India has been stopped for a year. After the ban imposed by India, there is no legal import into Nepal, they are brought from India secretly.

Police had taken Rs 40,000 from the traders on suspicion of smuggling them from India. “Even though they demanded Rs 55,000, they had to pay Rs 40,000,” said Gajendra Yadav, brother of trader Dayali.

“I have returned Rs 40,000,” said Inspector Malla. Police Constable Balram Bartaula and Jawan Nanda Kishore Thakur took the buffalo under control and handed it over to the office on the orders of Inspector Malla. Constable Bartaula said that he and Jawan Nanda Kishor only arrested the buffalo on the orders of the police inspector. “We arrested him and brought him back after Sir ordered him to be arrested. We don’t know what happened after that,” Bartaula said.

In the audio record with the trader, young Nanda Kishor has bargained for money. “Inspector Saab and the middleman know about the bribe, I don’t know,” said Nanda Kishor.

Sanjeev Pandey, Deputy Superintendent of Armed Police, Gana Kalaiya, Armed Police No. 12, responded that the bribe would be investigated.