The three main accused of the 33 kg gold smuggling and subsequent murder of Sanam Shakya, an alleged carrier, have been sent to the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) in Lalitpur by the Morang District Court on Sunday.

The single bench of District Judge Narayan Prasad Sharma gave the verdict to send Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, Bhujung Gurung and Tsering Wangel Ghale to the DMLI for investigation into the case.

Upreti, Gurung and Ghale are named as the main accused in the smuggling of the precious yellow metal.

Upreti and Ghale are now in judicial custody at Morang District Prison while Gurung is at the custody in Jhumka-based Regional Prison.

The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) has filed a charge sheet against the trio at the DMLI, demanding to investigate them on money laundering charge. On the basis of the charge sheet, the department has written to the Morang District Court to send the accused trio for investigation. 

A source at the court said that the district court issued the ruling to take the accused trio to the DMLI and again return them to Morang after their investigation would be over.

Meanwhile, SSP Dibesh Lohani and DSP Sanjaya Raut, whom the district court remanded into judicial custody for their alleged involvement in the gold smuggling case, have appealed in Biratnagar High Court, seeking their release on general date. Following the hearing from the petitioner’s advocate, Judge Sadhuram Sapkota at the High Court asked the Morang District Court to send necessary documents belonging to Lohani and Raut.