Azat Mian Jat, 29, who came from Ghurna, Patraha Panchayat-16, Bihar, India, was hospitably received by Asri Khatun at home. She fed him sweetly. Mother-in-law showed respect. After finishing the housework, she lay down on the bed. Perhaps she did not even imagine that the guest cousins would do this!

However, that unimaginable incident happened at Haripur-6 in Sunsari at around 4:30 am on Monday morning. A 16-year-old girl who was lying in bed was shot and killed by a neighbor from close range. The bullet hit the back of the head. She collapsed on the spot . 

"It is a preliminary assumption that the girl was shot after she refused to be forced," Sunsari police chief SP Suman Kumar Timsina said, "We are studying the incident meticulously." According to the police, he is a professional criminal and his involvement in dozens of criminal cases in India has been confirmed. "It has been found that he comes to Nepal after committing a crime in India and returns to India after committing a crime here," SP Timsina said, "The search for him has been intensified in coordination with the Indian police." Mian came to Haripur-6 of Sunsari's in-laws house on Sunday night.

A series of shootings

This shooting is not the first time in Sunsari. In the last few years, guns have been used repeatedly in the district from simple disputes to organized criminal plans. The culprits of most of the incidents are still absconding. From Barju, Duhabi, Inaruwa, Itahari to the border areas, such violent incidents are repeated again and again.

A similar incident happened last May in Barju Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari. Barjuma, which connects the eastern border with the state capital Biratnagar  An unknown group shot and killed a local businessman who was returning home in the evening. The assailants who came on two motorcycles fired at the businessman. The businessman was seriously injured and the assailants escaped from the scene. Police estimate that they also fled to India  is . 

The police concluded that the shooting was due to past transactions and disputes with the businessman . However, the police have not been able to catch anyone involved in the incident yet. 

In March 2080, there was a shootout between two criminal groups in Sunsari's Duhabi municipality. Two people were injured when a dispute erupted due to an old rivalry turned violent. Although some people have been arrested, the main planners of the incident are still absconding.

Before that, in October 2080, shots were fired targeting local traders in Inaruwa, the headquarters of Sunsari. Police investigation has confirmed the involvement of an organized criminal gang in the incident. 

In July 2079, a businessman was shot at in Itahari sub-metropolitan city-19. Two people who came on a motorcycle fired at the businessman from close range, due to which the businessman was seriously injured.

Most of the accused involved in all these incidents are still absconding. The police has not been able to bring anyone under the law so far. The trend of entering Nepal after committing a crime and then fleeing across the border to India again has added to the challenge for the police. More effective coordination between the Nepal-India police is needed to control such criminals involved in cross-border crimes .

The world of small arms

Sunsari is a strategically important district of Koshi province. Due to the open border with the Indian state of Bihar, a major trade route and increased traffic, criminal activities are spreading rapidly here.