The rising unemployment in the Tarai districts is leading to an increase in the crime rate. The staggering number of cases where the police have been involved in cross fire with local criminals suggests widespread proliferation of small arms in the Tarai.

According to Mahottari district police, local gangs in the Tarai have been found in possession of homemade pistols, improvised bombs with detonators and large amount of ammunitions. "The use of guns in petty crimes has become all too common," says Suraj Khadka of Mahottari police, "the locals know the criminals, but they are so terrified that they refuse to come forward to provide information."

The porous Nepal-India border poses a huge challenge for security forces in controlling arms smuggling. Criminals can easily buy homemade and Chinese pistols from border towns of Siliguri, Jayanagar, Sitamadi, and Raxaul. So far, the police have recovered more than 100 weapons in Mahottari district alone. The Home Ministry is aware of the political influence these armed groups use to evade prosecution by the police. But so far, it has failed to intervene.