The individuals accused in the latest gold smuggling case, who were under the custody of the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI), have been handed over to the Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police.

The department also handed over the evidence collected from the accused to the CIB for further investigation into the case.

DRI Director General Nawaraj Dhungana, in a press conference on Sunday, informed that the department decided to hand over the case to the police as a comprehensive investigation was required.

The DRI on July 18 had seized a huge quantity of gold from Sinamangal, Kathmandu after the consignment had passed the airport customs undetected, and had launched an investigation. The department had sent the gold, hidden in cartons of motorcycle brake shoes and electric shavers, to the Nepal Rastra Bank, where the yellow metal’s gross weight was found to be 155kg.

The department has so far arrested 18 people with the latest gold seizure. It also raided a factory at Tokha in Kathmandu, a suspected site used by smugglers for melting gold.

Besides, it raided the warehouse of Ready Trade, a private firm, at Sorhakhutte in Kathmandu and seized 66 boxes of motorcycle brake shoes. Many of the brake shoes were found to be lighter compared to those seized at Sinamangal, raising suspicion that gold from the shoes had already been extracted.

The DRI also raided the house of Rakesh Kumar Adukia, one of the prime suspects in the smuggling case, as a part of efforts to find actual owners of the seized gold.