A special squad of 12 police including some from Metropolitan Police Range (MPR), Hanumandhoka, was deployed to arrest the suspects following a special tip-off. [break]
"The squad succeeded in nabbing them after tailing them for three days," said SP Uttam Raj Subedi, deputy chief of MPR.
Those arrested are Namgyal Sherpa, 55, Sanu Sherpa, 30, Gyane Sherpa, 32, and Sonam Sherpa, 19. They were arrested from a rented room at Khaiwatol Bouddha owned by Kanchhi Sherpa. They arrived in Kathmandu by bus and took a taxi to the rented room. All those arrested are from Phoksen-9, Tatopani in Sindhupalchowk district.
After they arrived in Kathmandu, the police team followed them from the Sinamangal area. The police raided the room after the suspects reached there, but they couldn´t find any gold.
"But our team didn´t give up because we were very confident about the information we had," said a policeman deployed in the operation. "We kept on searching, and finally found the gold bars covered with plastic and kept inside some shoes."
The police then phoned one Gampo Bhatiya, 42, who had planned to receive the gold. Bhatiya immediately turned up at the room wearing a belt specially designed to hide gold bars.
Police describe Gampo´s arrest as a major achievement as he is a smuggler active in the second-layer of the racket.
The police also claim that this is the biggest seizure of gold by them in the last five years.
Gampo said that he was sent by one Chiranjivi to receive "some goods from the four men". Though he claimed merely to be a carrier, police were not persuaded because he arrived wearing the belt specially-designed for hiding gold bars.
Police said that smuggling gold by land route has increased in recent days as security measures were tightened at Tribhuwan International Airport.
Police claim to have identified the masterminds behind the gold smuggling and say they have been searching for them. But they haven´t succeeded in nabbing the main suspects so far.
After conductiing some investigations, police will send those arrested to the Revenue Investigation Department.
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