Police on Wednesday arrested five more persons in connection with the 88 kg gold smuggling case.

A police team deployed from the MPCD nabbed Satya Narayan Agrawal, Ganeshdutta Badu, Subha Ratna Shakya, Nanda Kumar Margala, and Dinkar Salukhe from Kathmandu.

They have been accused of transporting the precious yellow metal from Kerung border point in Rasuwa district to Kathmandu.

Earlier on September 6, police had apprehended two drivers for their alleged involvement in assisting to smuggle the precious yellow metal.

Dilip Khadka was rounded up from Rasuwa and Dampa Tamang from Syaphrubesi.

A police team deputed from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) on September 4 had confiscated 88kg gold—the biggest haul of the precious yellow metal ever confiscated—worth over Rs 340 million from Chhetrapati in the Capital.

Police had also arrested Manoj Adhikari of Makawanpur, who was driving a Tata Storme jeep, which was ferrying the gold. 

Adhikari in his statement to police had said the gold was smuggled from Kerung border point of China into Rasuwa. 

SSP Bibesh Lohini, Chief at the MPCD, during a press conference said that the owner of the gold is a Chinese and had some kind of connection in Nepal.

Police said that the owner of the gold runs a hotel in Chhetrapati.

Police said that Xia Qing, who runs the hotel in Chhetrapati, his wife Sun Shui and father Zhan Goa are suspected to have been operating a gold smuggling ring for quite some time.

Earlier on August 31, a police team deployed from Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police had seized 15 kg gold out of 22 kg that was smuggled from China and arrested seven persons in connection with the smuggling.

Similarly, on January 5, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police had seized 33 kg gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport that had passed undetected through the customs.