Motihari, Feb. 11: The construction work of the integrated checkpost at Pantoka village near Raxaul on the India-Nepal border may come to a grinding halt owing to frequent theft of raw material from the site and threat to the workers of the Pune-based firm executing the project.

Deputy general manager (DGM) of Rajdeep Buildcon Pvt Ltd, Ranjan Rai, said the workers and labourers of his company might refuse to work at the site if they were not given adequate security.

Union home minister P. Chidambaram had laid the foundation stone of the checkpost on April 24 last year. Chief minister Nitish Kumar was also present on the occasion. The checkpost is being constructed on the India-Nepal border to promote trade between the two countries.

“Raw material worth around Rs 30 lakh has been stolen from the construction site so far. Usually women and children are involved in thefts. The main culprits remain behind the scene,” said Rai.

Criminals looted steel, cement, pump, motor, vibrator and pump worth about Rs 10 lakh between last Wednesday evening and Thursday morning.

“Personnel of Lord Krishna Security Services fired shots in the air, but the criminals fled with their booty,” he said. Rai told The Telegraph some local residents had been crying foul over alleged discrimination in compensation to land losers. He suspected their involvement in the thefts and threats given to the workers of the construction company. “Earlier, they indulged in theft, but now they are committing crimes on a larger scale. They are taking the help of women and children.”

Raxaul sub-divisional magistrate Jitendra Sah told The Telegraph over phone the theft had nothing to do with the compensation of land. “There can be a dispute over some other issues,” he said.

Deputy superintendent of police (Raxaul) Rajeev Ranjan expressed hope that the situation at the construction site of the integrated checkpost would improve soon. He said the police would ensure security of the workers involved in the project.