Kathmandu, October 16

Police have arrested the alleged mastermind of 88 kg gold smuggling Man Bahadur Tamang from Swoyambhu today.

According to police, a team deployed from Metropolitan Police Crime Division arrested Tamang after those arrested in connection with the smuggling earlier spilled the beans on him.

It is said Tamang was chosen as a Nepali Congress candidate for the upcoming parliamentary elections under the proportional representation electoral system from Rasuwa-1 Constituency. He is also the president of Nepal-Kerung Business Association.

Police said Chinese smugglers of 88 kg gold had used Tamang to supply gold to the Kathmandu.

Police had arrested a person in possession of 88 kilograms gold from Chhetrapati in Kathmandu in the wee hours on September 4. This was the biggest haul of smuggled gold ever seized in Nepal, according to MCDP. A police team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Range had arrested Manoj Adhikari, 24, of Makawanpurgadhi Rural Municipality-5, with the gold. The seized gold is worth around Rs 430 million.

Police had also seized a car (Ba 17 Cha 6427) used for smuggling the gold. The team had opened the rear part of the vehicle and seized 88 pieces of gold bars weighing 1 kg each, wrapped in black tape.

Earlier on August 30 this year, the Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police had arrested seven individuals in possession of 15 kg smuggled hallmark gold. In that incident too, the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung route was used to smuggle the yellow metal into Nepal from China.

Seizure of 88 kg gold had surpassed the previous record of 35 kg hallmark gold confiscated on July 10, 2013.

Likewise, 33 kg gold was seized from Pinglasthan on January 5 this year. CIB had arrested three persons with 33 kilograms of undeclared precious yellow metal. The seized gold was worth around Rs 150 million.

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