KATHMANDU, Aug 15: The smuggled gold that had been confiscated from the customs office at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) over a month ago is found to be of 60.779 kg in weight.

According to the Mint Division under Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the gold extracted from the brake shoe weighed 60 kg and 779 grams. The division on Monday separated the confiscated gold from the brake shoe in the presence of the representatives from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police and the Department of Revenue Investigation and weighed the precious metal.

Thaneshwar Acharya, head of the Mint Division, said the exact amount of gold can be known only after it is melted. “The actual amount after melting may come even lower than the current weight as some black patches have been found in the extracted gold,” said Acharya, adding that they will complete the entire work on Tuesday.

On July 19, the DRI recovered 100 kg of gold that was hidden in brake shoes of scooters and motorbikes after it had passed the customs office of the TIA, from Sinamangal in Kathmandu. The smugglers were found evading the TIA customs and fleeing away with the precious yellow metal smuggled using a cab.

The weight of the brake shoes containing gold seized by the DRI was found to be 155 kg. The DRI took the confiscated gold to the Mint Division to ascertain the exact amount.

In this case, a total of 18 accused have been arrested. Of them, three were the officials of the Department of Customs, four customs agents and two were the carriers. Similarly, two Chinese citizens and a person holding an Indian passport were also arrested, but they were released on appearance bail.

 
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