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Morang court releases three suspects on bail
The District Court Morang on Monday released on bail three suspects of the 33kg gold smuggling case and ordered three other suspects remain in judicial remand.Binod Bhandari & Madhav Ghimire
The District Court Morang on Monday released on bail three suspects of the 33kg gold smuggling case and ordered three other suspects remain in judicial remand.
A bench of District Judge Narayan Prasad Sharma ordered the judicial remand of Madan Silwal, driver Laxman Gurung and Ram Kumar Tiwari, alleged aide of Chudamani Upreti, aka Gore.
Evidences presented so far show the trio’s involvement in smuggling the gold, the bench observed.
The infamous gold smuggling case became more intriguing after the murder of alleged smuggler Sanam Shakya.
The court also ordered the release of Rewanta Kumar Acharya, resident of Urlabari, Morang, who is said to have supplied inverter battery used to electrocute Shakya, and Money Exchange businesspersons Binod Adhikari and Moti Ram Shrestha.
The court told Acharya to pay bail amount of Rs 121,500, while Adhikari and Shrestha Rs 100,000 each.
The 23 accused, currently in judicial custody, have filed application in the High Court to overturn the District Court’s decision.
Former DIGs Govinda Prasad Niraula and Shyam Khatri, SSP Dibesh Lohani, SP Bikashraj Khanal, two DSPs Prajit KC and Sanjaya Raut among other suspects registered the application in the High Court.
The District Attorney’s Office (DAO) had filed a charge sheet against 63 suspects recommending Rs 17 billion and Rs 18 million in fines as per the report submitted by a committee formed to probe into the case.
The 33kg gold smuggled through the Tribhuvan International Airport had mysteriously disappeared from Kathmandu before reaching its intended destination.
The probe panel concluded that Chudamani Upreti aka Gore, the alleged mastermind of gold smuggling, and his accomplices smuggled 3,999.6 kgs of gold since July 2015.