KATHMANDU, July 23: The gold smuggler's alleged nexus can be traced to the hundi business, an illegal form of remitting money from abroad, and illegal traders of foreign exchange.
Authorities have discovered a close link between the people involved in gold smuggling through Nepal and the gang of people involved in the illegal trading of hundi and foreign currency. It has also been confirmed from the reports prepared by the police after various investigations related to illegal gold and illegal foreign exchange transactions. Based on the facts pointed out by those reports, there seems to be a close relationship between gold smugglers and foreign currency smugglers.
The involvement of those individuals in gold smuggling and illegal foreign currency trading is not new. In the report of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee formed in 2055 BS, it is mentioned that gold enters Nepal at the expense of dollars sent out illegally from Nepal. A report prepared by an investigation committee formed in 2055 BS under the coordination of the then MP Pari Thapa and an investigation conducted by the police investigation committee formed in 2069 BS found out that the gangs of gold smugglers and illegal foreign currency traders were the same.
Not only that, the members of the high-level inquiry committee formed by the government in 2075 BS also pointed out the same.
“It seems that gold has been smuggled through the same channel since the past. Sometimes the characters are different, but most of the channels used seem to be the same," said a police officer who investigated the 33 kg gold case.
Bimal Poddar, Mahabir Golyan, Rajkumar Daruka, Sanjay Khaitan, Prabhat Agarwal and others were arrested in connection with smuggling 33 kg of gold. They were apprehended along with Murarilal Jamalia of the then Ebisu Jewelers, which was located at Durbar Marg.
Rajendra Shakya and Binod Kumar Soni of RK Jewelers were also involved in smuggling. Soni was found to be involved in illegal trading of gold and foreign currency since 2055 BS. He was also involved in the smuggling of foreign currency in 2069 BS. Similarly, Rajesh Agarwal was also involved in foreign exchange trading. Businessman Deepak Malhotra is another person who has been continuously involved in illegal trading of gold, hundi, and foreign currency since 2055 BS. He held a press conference insisting that he was not involved in the smuggling of gold recovered from the airport recently.
Nexus between officials, smugglers abetting deforestation
In 2055 BS, Malhotra was recommended to be prosecuted under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. His name was also linked in the 33 kg gold case. Malhotra was not investigated at that time. At that time, the Revenue Leakage Inquiry Committee formed under the coordination of the then House of Representatives member MP Pari Thapa studied the smuggling and revenue leakage through the customs of Tribhuvan International Airport and other customs points in the country.
The study found that various materials including gold were being smuggled from different countries and foreign currency were being exported.
“Several times in the past, there have been incidents of gold and other precious metals being loaded onto planes flying from Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, and Dubai to Kathmandu. In some cases, arrests were also made," said the report. According to the report, it was mentioned that the drivers, attendants, stewardesses, loaders, plane cleaners and lower level staff were involved in the illegal transportation of foreign currency, gold and valuable goods.
“The names of high-ranking employees and political figures have also been linked. It has also been found that flight attendants, air hostesses and lower level employees, sweepers, loaders of Nepal Airlines are helping to smuggle foreign currency illegally. Some cases are still in the process of action," the report states.
In the year 2055 BS, it was proved that they were involved in gold, foreign currency smuggling and other activities and departmental action was taken against six people associated with the state-owned airline company. The Tribhuvan Airport Customs Office stated that illegal gold was seized in 441 cases while 10 cases are yet to be decided.
Most of the earlier police investigations revealed that US dollars are being doled out to smuggle in gold into Nepal from third countries. It is mentioned in the 2068 investigation of the Central Investigation Bureau of the Police (CIB) that the smugglers pay foreign currency from Nepal to China and Dubai to bring gold from there.
In 2053 BS, three Chinese and one Nepali national were arrested with Rs 50 million. At that time, the police claimed that the money was going to be sent abroad for the purchase of gold. Before that, on September 4, 2012, the then SSP of Nepal Police, Rabiraj Shrestha, got involved in illegal foreign currency trading and quit his job. Binod Kumar Soni, Rajesh Agrawal, Bimal Poddar, Satyanarayan Kukra, Suman Agarwal, Murarilal Goyal (Jamalia), Pawan Agarwal were accused in that case. Jamalia and Binod Kumar Soni are the businessmen involved in the recent 33 kg gold case.
Amit Kumar Gupta, 30, came to Nepal from India with Rs 14.7 million on January 4, 2021. According to the statement given to the Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI), it was revealed that he had brought money to buy gold in Nepal.
At that time, the DRI had filed a case in the Special Court with a demand to fine him Rs 29.2 million.
Agrawal had given a statement that he received the money from Sachin Kumar Agarwal aka Sachin Tewadewal and gave it to Naruddin Ansari aka Noor Mohammad. According to an official of the DRI, illegal money also comes to Nepal in vehicles from India and goes to Dubai and China for payment of gold delivered through Nepal's airport.
According to the investigation conducted by the police at various stages, it has been revealed that gold smugglers make a strategy of going abroad with foreign notes and bring gold from Dubai on their return. Investigations into smuggling have revealed that foreign exchange embezzlers, hundi dealers and gold smugglers been illegally taking money out of Nepal to foreign countries and, upon returning, have been bringing in gold illegally.
There will be an impartial investigation into gold smuggling
After 100 kg of gold was recovered from the airport on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said that there will be a fair investigation into gold smuggling. He made such remarks while inspecting the immigration and customs offices at the Tribhuvan International Airport on Friday morning. Home Minister Shrestha went to the immigration and customs inspection of the airport after the information that 100 kg of gold smuggled in brake shoes was released without passing the customs check.
Minister Shrestha was accompanied by Director General of the Department of Customs Shobha Kant Paudel, Director General of the Department of Revenue Investigation Nawa Raj Dhungana, Director General of the Department of Immigration Jhalakram Adhikari, Inspector General of Police Basant Kunwar and others. Home Minister Shrestha showed special interest after a question mark was raised in the customs security check machine.
Ten people, including one Chinese and one Indian, have been arrested in last week’s 100 gold smuggling case. Chinese national Lin Zequiang along with Pushkar Bhatt and Krishna Kumar Shrestha, owners of Trans Global Services, Rajan Shrestha, owner of Alice Trans Group, were arrested on Thursday.
Earlier on Wednesday, taxi driver Ashok Rana Magar, customs agent Rajendra Kumar Rai, owner of Ready Trade Pvt Ltd Dilip Bhujel, associates Harka Raj Rai, Thukpin Chhiring and Ram Kumar Bhujel were also arrested.
The team of DRI seized nearly 100 kg of gold brought from Hong Kong on Wednesday night from Sinamangal after it had already passed customs clearance. In this case, the Department of Customs has already suspended Kumar Dhakal and has recommended the suspension of the customs officer Santosh Chand to the Ministry of Finance.
