Police and central security agencies are investigating the sale of suspected Pakistan-made bedsheets, cosmetics and other products by hawkers in East Champaran’s Motihari, amid concerns over informal cross-border supply routes near the India-Nepal border.
The investigation follows an incident in Raghunathpur locality, where two unidentified young men allegedly offered bedsheets to residents for Rs 100 or Rs 200. A villager who bought one of the bedsheets found a “Made in Pakistan” tag on it, prompting residents to alert the police. The hawkers left the area before a police vehicle arrived.
Dilip Kumar, sub-divisional police officer of Motihari, said the police investigation into the Raghunathpur case was under way. He said police had seized the Pakistan-made bedsheet purchased by a villager. The seizure is being examined as part of efforts to establish how the product reached the locality and whether similar goods are being sold elsewhere.
Police stations across East Champaran have been alerted to identify suspected sellers and trace the source of the merchandise, according to the report. The action covers hawkers operating in villages as well as those selling goods on the streets of towns, placing informal retail networks under scrutiny.
The case has drawn attention from central security agencies deployed along the India-Nepal border because of Motihari’s proximity to a porous border that has been associated with cross-border smuggling networks. The investigation is therefore not limited to the identity of the sellers. Authorities are also seeking to determine the route through which the products entered the local market.
Customs sources said the Indian government had banned the entry of Pakistani products following the Pahalgam incident in 2025. The report did not specify the notification or legal provisions governing the ban, nor did it state whether the seized bedsheet had been independently examined beyond its “Made in Pakistan” label.
Customs sources also said that Pakistan-made fairness cream remains popular among young women in border areas of Bihar and West Bengal. According to the sources, agents smuggle such products through Bangladesh and Nepal. The report does not establish whether the products found in Motihari were connected to the same route or whether any arrests had been made.
The investigation will now focus on identifying the hawkers involved, verifying the origin of the goods and tracing the supply chain behind products being sold at unusually low prices. Police and security agencies have not announced a final finding in the case.
