Shillong, July 20: A Chinese national was apprehended at Tribhuvan International Airport in connection with a record-breaking gold seizure, one of Nepal’s biggest smuggling cases.
100 kg of gold had been confiscated by the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI) on a tip-off, leading to the arrest of six individuals, including one Indian and five Nepali nationals. The gold, suspected to have originated from Hong Kong, had evaded Customs detection.
IANS reported that the Chinese national, Ling Chuwang, believed to be the owner of the gold, was caught attempting to flee to China. Another Nepali individual, believed to be his local handler, was also arrested.
The Department of Customs formed a six-member probe committee to further investigate the matter. The gold was allegedly smuggled into India via Nepal, but verification is ongoing.
The gold had been cleverly hidden within motorcycle spare parts and was about to be transported by taxi before authorities intervened. The DRI, with the assistance of Nepal Police, successfully recovered the smuggled gold from outside Kathmandu airport.
