Police at Tribhuvan International Airport on Wednesday seized over 3kg of gold from four Uzbek nationals as they were exiting the customs area.

Senior Superintendent of Police Somendra Rathore said the gold was concealed in their rectums. The suspects—three women and one man—had arrived in Nepal from Dubai on flydubai flight FZ 575.

Police deployed in plain clothes discovered the gold. Authorities suspect the individuals were being used as carriers by a smuggling network.

The gold has yet to be tested.

According to Rathore, the gold will be handed over to customs.

“We will confirm the exact weight and submit it to customs,” he said. Airport staff have complained that security scanners at the passenger screening area are ineffective, making it challenging to prevent smuggling.