The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police on Thursday seized 33 kg of gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport that had passed undetected through the customs. 

A CIB team nabbed Gopal Bahadur Shahi who had landed at the TIA from the UAE in an Air Arabia flight with 33 kg of gold. He was held when he was about to get into a cab at the main exit gate (Golden Gate) of TIA. 

Following his arrest, the CIB team later arrested two other persons—Dinbandhu Thapa of Morang and Santosh Kafle Shahi of Dhanusha. The duo had reached the airport to receive the gold.

“This is the largest amount of gold we have ever seized from the TIA,” said DIG Nawaraj Silwal, chief of the CIB. 

The confiscated gold includes 244 biscuits, 18 chains and 11 rings. The smuggled gold was wrapped in a plastic and kept inside a luggage. Police said Shahi was arrested after he had already made his way out of the airport. The seizure of such a huge amount of gold has raised questions over the security situation at the country’s only international airport. 

According to police, Shahi who was arrested with gold could be a mule only. 

According to police, such mules are paid between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000 for ferrying each kg of gold after it is successfully collected at the destination after passing immigration and customs. 

Two held at airport runway

Two persons were arrested from the Tribhuvan International Airport runway on Thursday while trying to board a plane without boarding passes and immigration stamp on their passports. 

The individuals, trying to board a plane to Dubai, were arrested with the assistance of Aviation Department and Metropolitan Police Crime Division. They duo is identified as Yogendra Tamang and Jeevan Khadka of Bhojpur. As per preliminary investigations, police have found out that the two arrested individuals were able to get through the check-in and immigration gate with the help of Nepal Airlines staffers and on-duty police official Nitesh Dahal. 

The duo and those who abetted them in getting to the runway have been taken into custody. (PR)