Kathmandu

CIB arrests six persons for smuggling gold

CIB arrests six persons for smuggling gold

By Himalayan News Service

Hair straightening irons used to smuggle gold put on display at Central Investigation Bureau, in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Photo: THT

Kathmandu, March 13 The Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police arrested six persons for their involvement in smuggling gold from Dubai into Nepal and selling it to Kathmandu-based jewellery stores and in India. Sashikala Gurung, 33, of Baglung; Saroj KC, 43, of Kathmandu; Hom Bahadur Budhathoki, 38, of Jhapa; Jeevan Shakya, 35, of Kavre; Biju Bajracharya, 35, of Bhaktapur and Yogesh Magar, 20, of Maharashtra, India, were nabbed from different places of Kathmandu yesterday. SP Jeevan Kumar Shrestha, CIB spokesperson, said they were found smuggling gold into Kathmandu by concealing the precious metal in the cavity of electric hair straightening irons. The modus operandi came to light after Budhathoki, who arrived in Kathmandu from Dubai yesterday, managed to cross the TIA customs point with the undeclared gold and boarded a car in Sinamangal. Police found 15 tola gold in the cavity of hair straightening irons. SP Shrestha informed that Gurung’s husband had sent the consignment of the gold using Budhathoki as a carrier. Gurung and KC used to receive the gold smuggled by Gurung’s husband and sell it in jewellery shops. Shakya and Bajracharya are jewellers and were found to have bought smuggled gold many times. CIB has also confiscated 129 tola gold from jewellery shops owned by Shakya and Bajracharya. SP Shrestha said investigation was under way to crack the smuggling racket.