Kathmandu, October 9
Three Chinese nationals have been arrested after police raided a rented house in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu, where an illegal gold processing operation was allegedly being run. Police seized around 21kg of gold from the two-and-a-half-storey house.
A team from the Crime Investigation Office in Teku raided the house on Thursday evening and found the suspects melting gold, according to police sources. A brief scuffle reportedly took place as officers moved to take them into custody.
During a search of the house, police also recovered equipment used to melt, test the purity of and mould gold into different shapes.
“They were found to be bringing in gold in both solid and liquid forms, then moulding it into different shapes as needed before supplying it,” a senior police official told Onlinekhabar.
Preliminary findings suggest the three men had been operating from the house in an organised manner, with a security gate and CCTV cameras installed on the premises, according to the official.
Investigators are yet to establish through which border points the gold was brought into Nepal, who received the supplies and whether other people were involved in the operation.
Police are also working to determine the exact quantity and purity of the seized gold, with assistance from officials of the Department of Quality and Measurement and representatives of the gold and silver traders’ association.
Police said they would hold a press conference to provide further details about the three arrested Chinese nationals, the seized gold and the investigation.
