Lawyers have said that suspects held in connection with the 33kg gold smuggling case and the murder of an alleged smuggler, Sanam Shakya, have changed their statements to the Morang District Court.
Lawyers have said that suspects held in connection with the 33kg gold smuggling case and the murder of an alleged smuggler, Sanam Shakya, have changed their statements to the Morang District Court.
Gyanendra Thapa, chairman of the Morang Bar Association, said their statements were different from what the police had recorded earlier.
As of Sunday, the district court heard from 15 accused while as many remain to be quizzed. All of the suspects have been presented before District Judge Narayan Prasad Sharma.
The court is preparing to complete the recording of statements by Tuesday.On Wednesday, the District Attorney’s Office filed a charge sheet against a total of 63 suspects, recommending Rs17 billion and Rs18 million in fines in line with the report prepared by a high-level committee and an investigation carried out by the Morang Police.
According to a report presented by the high-level committee headed by Joint-secretary Ishwor Poudel, Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, the alleged mastermind of gold smuggling, and his accomplices had smuggled 3,999.6 kg gold since July 2015. The DAO has filed such charges as organised crime, murder, abduction and hostage against the accused.
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 held in connection with the case.
The 33kg gold smuggled through the Tribhuvan International Airport had mysteriously disappeared from Kathmandu. The smuggling case drew much public attention following the murder of Shakya, a resident of Urlabari in Morang, on March 2.
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