Kathmandu, January 3

Police at Tribhuvan International Airport arrested two Indian nationals with two kilograms of undeclared gold concealed in their rectums today.

Police said Bharat Suresh Lal, 31, and Navin Gopi Chand, 39, of Maharashtra, India, had arrived at TIA from Dubai on an Air Arabia flight.

Officials said the Indian duo were held for further investigation after being spotted behaving suspiciously and walking in a peculiar way during security check at the arrival gate. During interrogation they admitted to concealing gold in their rectums. Police took help of doctors at Sinamangal-based KMC Hospital to remove the contraband from the rectal cavity through medical procedures.

Lal and Chand had three pieces of gold of cylindrical shape weighing one kg each, in their rectums. According to police, they were trying to smuggle the gold by evading customs. They have been handed over to TIA Customs Office for further action. Police had arrested two Indian nationals in possession of 1.6 kg gold from TIA yesterday. On December 31, an Indian national was held with 500 grams of undeclared gold concealed in his rectum. A Chinese national was arrested with one kg gold being smuggled to Nepal by adopting the same modus operandi on November 29.

Despite police action, racketeers continue attempts to smuggle gold through the only international airport of the country. According to Nepal Police, security and customs officials are on high alert to arrest gold smugglers. Concealing gold in rectum, mouth, battery box, laptop, baggage, air-filter of vehicle, cargo trucks and inner sole of shoes are some of the major modus operandi adopted by smugglers. Smugglers also mould gold into jewellery and wear them to outsmart the security officials. Racketeers have been using returnee Nepali migrant workers to smuggle gold in recent times. Migrant workers are paid by the racketeers from the Gulf via wire after the consignment of gold is received by the concerned person in Nepal. Police said they had seized 108 kilograms of gold in fiscal 2018-19 compared to 72 kilograms in the previous fiscal.