Two Indians held in Nepal for selling N-material

KATHMANDU: The Nepali police apprehended eight people in an alleged case of Uranium smuggling and illegal trading of the substance. Two Indian nationals, identified as Upendra Kumar Mishra and Raju Thakur, were among the eight that were arrested.

The arrests were made when the Nepali police recovered a “uranium-like substance” from a car in the parking lot of a five-star hotel on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Kathmandu. 

Police arrested two individuals from the parked vehicle and followed it up with arrests of six others, based on the information furnished by the initial arrests. The substance was allegedly brought to Nepal from India and was meant to be sold in the black market for around Rs350 million per kg.

The theft and smuggling of fissile material in India during the last two decades is concerning and necessitates action from the global community, which has turned a blind eye to the country’s irresponsible behavior. 

The theft and smuggling of nuclear material poses a serious threat to the region’s security and strategic stability and exponentially increases the risk of nuclear terrorism.

Additionally, India has consistently violated United Nations Security Resolutions and has failed to uphold the International Atomic Energy Agency’s conventions regarding the physical protection of nuclear material.