Biratnagar, May 26

The 28 accused arrested in connection with the 33 kg gold smuggling case and the murder of Sanam Shakya are kept in the Eastern Regional Police, Jhumka, Sunsari.

Last Tuesday, a single bench of Judge Narayan Prasad Sharma of the Morang District Court  had sent them to judicial custody. Of the total 63 accused in the case, 32 are still absconding. Although they were earlier taken to the district prison, they have been shifted to the regional police office due to lack of space.

According to Jailor Ganesh Adhikari of the regional prison, the accused are kept in two separate blocks. “While 14 of them, including former DIG Govind Niraula, along with suspended officers SSP Diwesh Lohani, SP Bikashraj Khanal, DSPs Prajit KC and Sanjaya Raut and Sub-inspector Balkrishna Sanjel are kept in Block 2, others are kept in Block-1,” said the jailor, adding equal facilities have been provided to all of them. As for the main accused in the case, Chudamani Upreti will  be produced at the court on Sunday to record his statement.

Meanwhile, in the second phase of investigation in the wake of Gore’s arrest, Morang police have detained three more persons. They are identified as jeweller Rewat Acharya of Morang, Urlabari; BinodAdhikari, 34, owner of New Siddhakali Money Transfer of Damak, Jhapa; and 43-year-old Motiram Shrestha of Kandaghari, Kathmandu.