More than 50 people allegedly involved in the gold smuggling racket led by Chudamani Upreti, aka Gore, are under the radar of the Department of Money Laundering Investigation.

The gang is accused of smuggling 3.79 tonnes of gold worth Rs17.01 billion into Nepal in the period between July 2015 and February 2017.

After lodging a case against 63 suspected members of the gold smuggling racket for murder, organised crime, abduction and hostage-taking at the Morang District Court, the District Attorney’s Office had recommended probe against all the suspects except government officials as per the Money Laundering Prevention Act. Now the number of defendants in the murder and smuggling case has reached 75.

Binod Lamichhane, information officer at the Money Laundering Investigation Department, told the Post that a detailed probe was ongoing against more than 50 people involved in the racket operated by Gore.

The department initially recorded statements from the three chief accused—Gore, Bhujung Gurung and Tsering Wangel Ghale—in the murder of Sanam Shakya and the gold smuggling case in June last year.

“Most of those whose statements were recorded were released on bail,” said Lamichhane.

If someone amasses property through illegal means, the persons come under the scrutiny of the money laundering watchdog.

The Nepal Rastra Bank has fixed a quota for the import of gold but the precious metal imported by the Gore-led racket during the one and a half years was 61 percent of the gold that came through formal channels in the period, making a dent in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

Besides recommending additional probe against money laundering, the Morang District Attorney’s Office had recommended investigation into government officials and police members for corruption and foreign exchange misappropriation.

The investigation started with the murder of Shakya on March 2, 2018. Shakya, who was a member of the racket, was killed when Gore searched the whereabouts of the 33.5kg gold lost from Anamnagar after the racketeers sneaked it through the Tribhuvan International Airport.

According to Gore’s statement, the gold belonging to an Indian businessman arrived via a FlyDubai flight from the United Arab Emirates on January 23, 2018.

Two airport staffers, Punya Prasad Lama and Sanu Ban, received the gold, dodged the customs and were to transport the smuggled gold to a prearranged destination.

Lama and Ban, who were transporting the gold, were reportedly robbed in Anamnagar by a group of unidentified people who introduced themselves as police officers. Following the incident, the racket launched an investigation into its own members, which had resulted in the murder of Shakya.

Now, as many as 75 gang members are facing charges in connection with Shakya’s murder and alleged involvement in the smuggling racket.

While 31 of the accused are still at large, the court has extended the judicial custody of 34 individuals, while the remaining accused have been released either on bail or general date by the Biratnagar High Court.