Six persons, including chairman of Lahan Municipality ward number 19, were arrested with 1.757 kg of illegal gold from Ghurmighat in Siraha district on Saturday.

Ward Chairman Mohammad Hakim and five others—Mohammad Riyaz Rain, Mohammad Amirul, Mohammad Kaiyum Rain, Mohammad Rahman and Mohammad Afoz—were arrested by an Armed Police Force team from the East West Highway. The team also recovered Rs34,500 in cash and six mobile phone sets from the arrestees.

Police have detained an Indian registered Scorpio jeep (BR 32PA 4644) in which they were travelling.

SP Som Bahadur Gurung, chief of the Border Security Office of the APF in Siraha, said that they arrested the gold smugglers acting on a tip-off.

“We have been informed that smugglers are arriving in this area with illegal

gold from Kathmandu,” said SP Gurung, adding that the seized gold and jeep have

been sent to the Revenue Investigation Eastern Regional Office, Itahari, Sunsari for further investigation.