Gold Smuggling Case: Nepal Police Arrests 4 More Chinese Nationals

Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police on Wednesday arrested four more Chinese nationals in connection with the gold smuggling attempt from the Tribhuvan International Airport that took place on July 18 this year.

The spokesperson for Nepal Police’s Central Division has officially verified that the Central Investigation Bureau executed the apprehension of these suspected Chinese individuals across different locations within Kathmandu subsequent to an extensive overnight operation.

Deputy Inspector General Kuber Kadayat conveyed through a telephonic communication, “In the course of an overnight operation, three males and one female were apprehended from various sectors within Kathmandu. Subsequently, they were presented before the Kathmandu District Court to seek an extension of their custodial duration.”

The CIB has filed a petition with the court, requesting authorization to detain the suspects for a five-day period to facilitate ongoing investigations. The court has already granted a comparable extension of detention—five days—for the 17 individuals previously arrested in connection to this case.

At an earlier juncture, following a 19-day investigative process, the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) had delegated the responsibility for further inquiries into the gold smuggling incident to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) took control of a consignment of illicit gold at Sinamangal, Kathmandu on July 18, immediately following its passage through customs at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) without detection.

The gold, enclosed within eight securely sealed cartons, was subsequently dispatched to the Mint Division of the central bank for meticulous weighing. The aggregate weight of the confiscated cargo was ascertained to be 155 kilograms.

During recent proceedings, the Mint Division of Nepal Rastra Bank conducted a process of melting the seized gold to ascertain both its quality and precise weight. On Monday, the gold was evaluated after removing the brake shoes which had concealed it. As a result, the final measurement of the gold was determined to be 60.789 kilograms.

On July 18, the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) successfully intercepted the contraband gold, which was covertly concealed within motorcycle/scooter brake shoes, at the entrance of the Customs area of Tribhuvan International Airport.

The total weight of the smuggled gold, as confirmed by officials from the Mint Division of Nepal Rastra Bank, inclusive of electric shavers found alongside it, was confirmed to be 155 kilograms. The Mint Division was entrusted with the responsibility of meticulously examining the seized metal.