Police have arrested Rewanta Kumar Acharya, an accomplice of Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, the alleged mastermind of the 33kg gold smuggling case and subsequent murder of a carrier with electric shock.

According to the Morang District Police Office, Acharya, 38, of Urlabari, Morang, was detained on Thursday after Gore named him while recording his statement at the Morang District Court.

The owner of a jewellery shop in Urlabari had helped in torturing gold carriers while searching for the missing gold. He is said to be a cadre of the erstwhile CPN-UML, which merged with another party to form the Nepal Communist Party. The district court has been recording Gore’s statement for the past three days. Gore said that more people were involved in the case, without revealing their names.

In his statement to the court, Gore denied his involvement in Sanam Shakya’s murder although he had thrashed him in search for the missing gold.

Two more suspects held

Police arrested Lakshu Bahadur Gurung and another suspect involved in the Hundi business, in connection with the 33 kg gold smuggling case. They were nabbed at the order of the special committee formed to probe the case. Lakshu Bahadur of Manang was a driver of the accused Bhujung Gurung.

Ishwor Paudel, coordinator of the committee formed to probe the case, said Lakshu Bahadur was involved in transporting the gold from place to place. The identity of the other accused has yet to be known. The DAO has filed a charge sheet against 63 people in the high-profile case. They have been charged with organised crime, hostage-taking and murder.