The Kathmandu District Court has started recording statements of 12 people arrested on charge of smuggling 33kg gold.

Court’s Registrar Dhurba Upreti said the CIB had filed case at the court charging the arrestees with smuggling and organized crime, adding that the recording of statements might be completed on Tuesday.

The government attorney had filed the case before the court on Sunday.

Twelve people, including the then TIA security in-charge Senior Superintendent of Police Shyam Khatri, were produced before the court.

The CIB has arrested Gopal Bahadur Shahi, 43, of Banke; Dil Bandu Thapa, 35, of Kathmandu; Santosh Kafle, 35, of Bara and Hari Karki, 39, of Kavre. Other arrestees are Narayan Yadav, 56, an statistics officer at the TIA; Raj Kumar Dhakal, 30, X-ray technician at the TIA; and Shyam Krishna Shrestha, radio operator at the airport.

The CIB also rounded up some gold traders from the Valley, including Rojesh Shakya, 47; Sunil Shrestha, 49; Sapan Shrestha, 47, and Manoj Shrestha, 40,—owners of the Baibhav Laxmi Gold and Silver Palace, New Road.

The CIB on January 5 arrested smugglers along with 33kg gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport.