Morang District Police Office (DPO) has detained a head constable in the 33kg gold smuggling and murder of an alleged gold runner.

Police head constable Amar Bahadur Thapa, a permanent resident of Jagatpur-7 in Chitwan district, appeared at the DPO on Friday evening Thapa is one among 63 suspects who were allegedly involved in the smuggling of the yellow metal and subsequent murder of Sanam Shakya, an alleged runner. Preparation is on to present him (Thapa) at the Morang District Court on Sunday, said police.

Thapa along with 30 suspects have been taken into judicial custody. Thirty-three suspects, including Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, the alleged mastermind of gold smuggling, and SSP Shyam Bahadur Khatri are still on the run. Police claimed of deploying special security teams to nab the absconding suspects.

On Wednesday, the District Attorney’s Office filed a charge sheet at the court against all 63 suspects, recommending Rs17 billion and Rs18 million in fines in line with the report prepared by a high-level committee and investigation carried out by the DPO, Morang. The court recorded statements of five among 29 suspects on Friday. The District Attorney’s Office filed charges like organised crime, murder, abduction and hostage against each accused.

The probe committee led by Joint-secretary Ishwor Poudel came to the conclusion that Upreti and his accomplices had smuggled nearly four quintals of gold since July 2015. Former Deputy Inspector General Govinda Niraula, Senior Superintendent of Police Dibesh Lohani, Superintendent of Police Bikashraj Khanal, Deputy Superintendent of Police duo Prajit KC and Sanjaya Raut, Sub-inspector Balkrishna Sanjel and Police Constable Bishnu Khadka and four employees of the Nepal Airlines Corporation have been taken into custody in connection with the case.