Kathmandu, July 20
Six people, including an Indian national, have been arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The Department of Revenue Investigation confiscated around 100 kilograms of gold on Wednesday. Customs Office at the Tribhuvan International Airport had released the gold, hidden inside brake shoes.
As per the department’s report, Dilip Bhujel, the owner of Ready Traders, who was involved in importing the brake shoe, along with his uncle Ram Kumar Bhujel, who assisted in facilitating the passage of gold through the airport, and Harka Raj Rai, who played a role in establishing the company, have all been arrested by the department.
Furthermore, Thupten Tsering, an Indian citizen of Tibetan origin, has also been arrested in connection with the case. In addition to Tsering, a customs agent and a taxi driver were also arrested.
The exact quantity of gold recovered is not known. The department said the gold is being sent to Nepal Rastra Bank to measure its actual weight.
The Department of Customs has started its own investigations. Director General of the Department of Customs, Shobhakant Poudel, said that preparations have been made to suspend all those involved in releasing the gold.
“A decision will be made at some point. We have intensified the internal investigation,” said Poudel.
Poudel stated that the department is actively pursuing its investigation to ascertain whether the gold was passed through customs in an organised manner or if the smugglers exploited any technical vulnerabilities in the system.
