Two US nationals held crossing border illegally

Patna: Two United States nationals, including a woman, from California's Woodland, were arrested by Madhubani district's Jaynagar police on Saturday for attempting to cross the border to enter Nepal without valid travel documents, a senior officer of Madhubani police told TOI on Monday.Two residents of Madhubani district were also arrested for helping the US nationals cross the Indo-Nepal border and assisting the foreigners with logistical support during their stay in the Jaynagar area near the international border, the officer said.All four people were arrested by the 48th Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) near the border outpost (BOP) Betaunha checkpost on Saturday while they were attempting to cross the border without valid papers, the officer said.Police said, an SSB team led by ASI (GD) Jayendra Singh intercepted two foreign nationals and two Indian nationals accompanying them from India to Nepal, around 800 meters on the Indian side from the border. The two arrested US national—Craig Alan Moore (64) and Munni Sah (52)—are residents of California's Woodland, while the other two— Sonu Kumar Gupta and Ram Hriday Singh—are residents of Madhubani's Jaynagar.During interrogation by a joint team of SSB and the Bihar Police, it was revealed that both the US nationals arrived Kathmandu via New Delhi on October 30 this year, and four days later they illegally entered India along with Sonu Kumar Gupta. The officials said their purpose was to meet their relatives in India and participate in the rituals of Chhath."Although Moore and Munni Sah had a valid visa from the Nepal govt, they entered India without a valid visa and violated the immigration rules of the Indian govt," the police officer said.All four were later handed over to Jaynagar police station by the SSB. Police produced them in court, which forwarded them to judicial custody on Sunday, police said on Monday.
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