Police on Wednesday arrested five more persons in connection with the 88kg gold smuggling case. Police on September 4 had confiscated the biggest haul of the precious yellow metal ever confiscated-worth over Rs 340 million from Chhetrapati in the Capital. 

A team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Crime Division (MPCD) nabbed Ganesh Dutta Badu, owner of Karyabinayak Gold Shop, New Road; Satya Narayan Agrawal of Rabisya Traders, Nardevi; Subha Ratna Shakya of Shakya Gold Shop, Wotu; Dinkar Shalukhe of Siddhanath Gold Shop, Wotu and Nanda Kumar Margale of Pasupati Gold Shop, Wotu.

“Our investigation has shown that these gold traders were directly linked to the 88kg gold smuggling case,” said chief of MPCD Senior Superintendent Dibesh Lohani, hinting that more traders might have been involved in the case. “The investigation is on.”

Police have also confiscated more than 1kg of gold from Shakya along with over Rs10 million. 

The traders have also been accused of transporting the precious yellow metal to Kathmandu through the Kerung-Rasuwagadhi border crossing.

For the first time, the MPCD also released the names of two Chinese nationals believed to be the owners of the smuggled gold. Police identified them as Pan Weiming with passport number G40892296 and Yang Wenbing with passport number G40892297 are the owners of the gold.  

Police said the smugglers had been operating from a hotel in Thamel. 

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