From Kathmandu temple to Bihar border: How Rajasthan police lured wanted drug trafficker out of Nepal

On October 10, the Rajasthan Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) apprehended Sohanlal, a 32-year-old alleged drug trafficker wanted for six years, at the Raxaul border in Bihar. Sohanlal had been hiding in Nepal for months after fleeing to evade arrest in a case related to the NDPS Act in 2020. The ANTF had been tracking him as one of their top 25 narco-criminals, with a Rs 75,000 reward on his head.

The operation, known as Vishanhans, involved the ANTF posing as major drug buyers from Punjab and offering to strike a lucrative deal involving a large consignment. Sohanlal's associates informed the undercover cops that the deal could only be negotiated with Sohanlal himself, who was based in Nepal. They arranged a meeting with him outside Kathmandu's Pashupatinath temple, where the ANTF team waited for him.

Despite Sohanlal's absence, intelligence revealed that he regularly visited the temple, believing his religious visits would help him evade arrest. The ANTF deployed personnel in disguise near the temple, posing as garland sellers, tilak applicators, and other devotees. They spotted a man matching Sohanlal's appearance and, through a series of convincing tactics, managed to lure him into traveling to the Raxaul border in Bihar.

Once Sohanlal crossed into Indian territory, the ANTF personnel apprehended him. The arrest marked the ANTF's first successful capture of an internationally absconding wanted person. Sohanlal's arrest was part of the state's ongoing crackdown on drug smuggling, with the ANTF now having arrested 103 wanted persons. The operation involved personnel from various states, including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and others, and will be honored at the ANTF headquarters.