India beefs up security at Nepal and Bangladesh borders to check arms smuggling

Panitanki / Siliguri/ Fulbari (WB), Nov 19 (ANI): India has stepped security along the 'Chicken Neck area', a narrow strip of land in West Bengal wedged between Nepal and Bangladesh, to keep a check on arms smuggling.

The Shasastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the Nepal border, and the Border Security Force (BSF) on the Bangladesh border have been put on high alert.

Goods are allowed to transport freely across the India-Nepal border through Panitanki border checkpost near Naxalbari village in north Bengal making it difficult for border guards to prevent smuggling particularly arms.

"This border cannot be sealed as people from Indian side and Nepal side move freely. So we have made arrangements in the border area as maximum number of people cross that area. So there the SSB guards and local police, they are having a joint cordon. So right now I feel that our security on the Nepal border is also under control and it is satisfactory," said Kunda Lal Tamta, Inspector General of Police, North Bengal.

India shares a total of 1,850 kilometres of borderline with Nepal, of which over a 1,000 kilometres comes under the North Bengal region. Whereas the country shares a total of 4,096.7 kilometres of border with Bangladesh, of which over 2,650 kilometres has been fenced. (ANI)