KATHMANDU, July 31: Controversial businessman Rakesh Kumar Adukia, wanted by the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI), is suspected to have left the country. It is assumed that the Adukia father-son duo who was involved in the smuggling of around 100 kilos of gold has left the country. Merely a week after the successful recovery of the smuggled gold, the DRI’s raid on his house proved futile, as the team returned only with a handful of documents. The DRI team that raided Adukia's house in Kamalpokhari hasn’t yet paid attention to his factory in Maligaon.
Adukia, who opened an office in Hong Kong and engaged in gold smuggling, was smuggling gold mixed with silver. It is said that he opened a factory in Maligaon to separate the gold mixed with silver. A businessman said that the DRI team only raided the house without reaching the factory. “He had been dealing in silver for a long time. They used to pay the revenue of silver at the airport customs and bring gold and separate the precious metals in Kathmandu," he said.
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The businessman added, “The team of DRI has not reached there. Also, only after he escaped did the department's team raid his house.” The businessman estimates that Adukia has now reached Europe from India via Dubai. But the revenue officials are not ready to accept this. “We are searching. Nothing more can be said about him right now,” said an employee of the DRI. Two Hundi businessmen in Nepal are also involved in this gold smuggling case. But the DRI has not taken any formal view on this matter. “We are investigating. Everything will be revealed after the investigation is over,” said Nawa Raj Dhungana, director general of the Department.
Suspicious businessman Adukia is believed to have fled from Hong Kong after opening his office in Kowloon, Hong Kong and after the Department of Customs asked for his details. It has been revealed that he was involved in gold smuggling 28 years ago as well. It has been found that Adukia was arrested on 26th July 1995 with 2.88 kilograms of gold. In the report submitted by the Parliamentary Joint Committee, 1999 on the investigation of revenue leakage, which includes the names of various smugglers, it is mentioned that businessman Adukia is also involved in gold smuggling.
According to Article 65 of the then Constitution of 1990, a resolution was passed by both the Houses that a joint committee of both Houses should be formed to carry out an investigation of revenue leakage. According to the proposal, a nine-member joint committee was formed under the chairmanship of then MP Pari Thapa. Khagaraj Adhikari (CPM-UML), Dr Gangadhar Lamsal (Nepali Congress), Chanda Shah (RPP), Tanka Rai (CPN-ML), Narayan Man Bijukchhe (NWPP) Pari Thapa (Independent), Dr Mohammad Mohsin (RPP), Yuvraj Gyawali (UML) and Ramesh Rijal (Nepali Congress). The report mentions that 72. 812 kilograms of illegal gold was recovered from the airport in the fiscal year 1995/96.
