KATHMANDU, July 20: The police have let go former Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara’s son Rahul Mahara, who is linked to the incident of disappearing gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Customs Office, without even quizzing him. The police acquitted Rahul in the gold smuggling case, arguing that his statement would be taken only after finding the main person who had smuggled about nine kilos of gold from abroad.
In the investigation report submitted by the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police to the Public Prosecutor's Office in Kathmandu, it is mentioned that Rahul Mahara mounted pressure for the release of about nine kilos of gold seized by the TIA customs office, asking the authorities to auction the smuggled gold if it could not be cleared. But the police have not even questioned him once about this matter.
Mahara was not even made a defendant in the investigation report. On December 25, 2022, a Chinese passenger named Li Hansong arrived in Nepal from a Fly Dubai flight, number FZ-0587, carrying a substantial amount of gold hidden inside e-cigarettes (vape) in his luggage. At that time, the customs authorities seized the gold hidden inside the e-cigarettes and released the Chinese citizen Li. After that, it has been found through the bureau's investigation that he came in contact with the Mahara father-son duo. Li, a Chinese citizen, returned from Nepal within three days. As there is no possibility of him coming to Nepal immediately, the police did not even make general inquiries with the junior Mahara. Around nine kilos of gold, which was brought in e-cigarettes for smuggling, was stolen from within the Tribhuvan International Airport with the connivance of non-gazetted officer Rewant Khadka and customs agent Dinesh Basnet.
Sources claim that former Speaker Mahara, his son, and another Chinese citizen, Daojin Wang are also involved in this matter. In the report submitted by the CIB to the public prosecutor's office, it has been clearly mentioned that Rahul had repeatedly called the officers and employees of the customs department and pressured them to clear the e-cigarettes because they belonged to his business partner and if they could not clear them, then they should auction them. Since Rahul gave this pressure in the interest of the person bringing the gold, it seems that he is also involved in this case. But sources claim that the police have ignored this aspect of the smuggling case and acquitted the Mahara father-son duo.
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In the investigation report submitted by the CIB to the public prosecutor's office, the telephone numbers of former Speaker Mahara and his son, Chinese nationals who bring gold and other contact sources have also been included. As mentioned in the report, former Speaker Krishna Bahadur and his son Rahul seem to be in touch with the gold smuggling group. During the investigation, the CIB found out from the call details (CDR) that the Mahara father-son duo was involved in this case. But they have remained silent on this matter because of the alleged involvement of a senior politician. CIB Chief Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Kiran Bajracharya said that initially the investigation was only about the disappearance of gold from the airport and even after the case was sent to the court, the investigation process did not stop. "The investigation process has not stopped, the absconding accused are yet to be arrested, we are looking for the main person, so we cannot say much now because this matter is under investigation," she said.
CIB have arrested six people involved in this case and completed the investigation. Kathmandu District Court has sent five of the arrested people to prison. Five people have been ordered to be sent to prison for being involved in the sale and distribution of gold that was smuggled into e-cigarettes. The bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Deepak Dhakal made an order to send five of the six people detained to prison.
According to the order of the court, non-gazetted official Rewant Khadka of the airport, security guard Nirmal Kumar BK, customs agent Dinesh Basnet, businessman Ved Prakash Agarwal and Saheb Rao Pandurang Margale have been detained. Amrit Karki, who was made a defendant for the purpose of seizing property, has been ordered to be released on normal bail. Airport security guard BK found out that there was gold inside the e-cigarette and it was stolen with the connivance of Basnet, Khadka and others.
In the investigation report of the CIB submitted to the Kathmandu District Court, there is also a call details report of former speaker Krishna Bahadur and his son Rahul repeatedly contacting Li, who is a member of the group that hides gold inside e-cigarettes for smuggling purposes. Similarly, Daojin, another Chinese citizen of the same group, has also been found to have repeatedly called former Speaker Mahara and his son Rahul. The report states that Rahul repeatedly spoke to Li's driver Lokendra Paudel, smuggler Daojin and a man named Asin.
Similarly, it has been found that Daojin contacted Li, Paudel, Shyam Sah and customs agent Khuwa Prasad Neupane several times. "There was no chance to question Daojin Wang, there was no reason to ask Rahul Mahara either," said a CIB officer, "There may be political pressure while trying to arrest Daojin and because he himself does not look like a smuggler, we are going to collect evidence rather than arresting him and releasing him. But Rahul and Daojin are not likely to be arrested immediately. One of the fugitives can only be questioned if someone makes a negative statement. It was not considered necessary to take Rahul’s statement on the basis of phone contact.”
This is how the gold was stolen
As mentioned in the CIB report, Chinese passenger Li Hansong, who came to Nepal on flight number FZ-0587 of FlyDubai, brought 9 kg of gold concealed in electronic cigarettes (Vape) at 7 am on December 25, 2022. Two of his suitcases were placed with RC tags after suspicious items were found during X-ray examination.
The airport customs office took Li's passport and let him go. The next day he took back his passport and went to China again. Only then did he ask his friend Daojin Wang in Nepal to release the gold in the suitcase at the airport customs office. Li's two suitcases, which were kept near the arrival hall for one and a half months, were moved to the administrative building of the airport customs office on February 12. At that time, Nirmal BK, the security guard of the airport customs office, discovered that there was gold inside the suitcases. He informed the customs agent Dinesh Basnet. Basnet arranged the gold theft through non-gazetted official Rewant Khadka. According to their plan, on 13th of March, Khadka threw those two suitcases from the room to the customs waste room.
He believed that it would be safe as there was no CCTV camera. In the same room, the suitcases were exchanged with ones carrying normal e-cigarettes. The suitcases containing the gold were taken out through the customs agent Basnet. About nine kilos of gold was sold for Rs 60 million. Of which, Rs 8 million was found in the bank account of customs agent Basnet.
