Viral news are 100 percent fake: Deepak Malhotra

KATHMANDU, July 25: It is suspected that the owner of IMS Group, Deepak Malhotra, who has access to the CCTV cameras of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), helped to transfer smuggled gold from Hong Kong to the Indian border by taking a commission of Rs 200,000 per kg.

The Department of Revenue Investigation (DRI)  seized about 100 kg of gold that had passed through the customs office at the TIA last Tuesday evening. The gold had arrived at the TIA concealed in brake shoes of scooters.

Such suspicions have been made against Malhotra during the initial investigation into the latest gold smuggling. The  DRI is investigating the case of gold smuggling.

Meanwhile, many questions are being raised about airport security as the CCTV cameras  installed at the airport have been found under the control of Malhotra’s IMS Group.

Deepak Malhotra, the owner of IMS Group, claims that he has no involvement in gold smuggling. He told Republica, “Twenty-five years ago, I left the gold business. I have no involvement in it. Now I am engaged in businesses like hydropower, agriculture, mobile gateway payment, and housing. The issues that have been leaked are 100 percent fake.”

Malhotra's company IMS Group has been entrusted with the management of the parking and arrival hall at the airport. For this, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has awarded the contract to Malhotra's company for 30 years under the Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) model. However, it has been found that the employees of IMS Groups have access to the control room of the CCTV cameras installed at the airport.

It was found that the main control room of the CCTV cameras installed to watch the activities outside and inside the airport is under the control of the IMS Group. The company's employees have direct access to the activities captured on CCTV cameras.

After the DRI seized around 100 kg of gold that was cleared by the customs office at the TIA last time, there has been a serious interest in the security system. After the recovery of the gold, the DRI is collecting and studying the CCTV footage to get information about the situation around that incident.

The airport security is monitored by the police from their office through the CCTV cameras. The customs and Immigration offices also monitor everything through the CCTV cameras.

But the IMS Group, which is managing the parking and arrival hall operations outside the airport, has also been given access to internal CCTV cameras.

In 2010, the government instructed the management of the CAAN  Management Committee to negotiate with the then Rasuwa KD JV in which Malhotra, Bimal Poddar Mohan Acharya were partners. This group got permission for the external management of the airport in 2012.

The security threat has also increased after the management of TIA was given to the gangs and middlemen who have been smuggling gold from the airport for years. The international community has repeatedly expressed interest in the security of the TIA and smuggling of gold and other goods.

However, the government has given controversial businessman Malhotra's IMS Company access to not only the airport's external management, but also its internal mechanisms.

Gold is smuggled in coordination with the employees of the TIA, customs and security agencies and staff of airlines. It has been revealed through investigation that gold smuggling and illegal currency transactions are also carried out from some shops at the TIA. In such a situation, the government should be careful about airport security.

When the security of the TIA was said to be strengthened, in mid-February 2022, a person entered the airplane of Nepal Airlines Corporation without a passport and a ticket. After that, the government formed a task force for improving airport security under the coordination of the then head of the immigration department, Narayan Prasad Bhattarai. The task force suggested strengthening the security system both outside and inside the airport. Concluding that due to the weakness in the security system of the outer perimeter of TIA, unauthorized persons had reached the sensitive area many times, the task force also suggested increasing security posts, security patrols, and surveillance to tighten the security in the areas of TIA.

Bhattarai was the coordinator of the task force consisting of Colonel Anup Adhikari, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bed Bista, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kiran Basnet, Deputy Director of National Investigation Department Bishnu Mani Acharya, Director of Aviation Safety Basudev Bhattarai, Director of Nepal Airlines Corporation Anil Ghimire, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Pramod Nepal and Under Secretary of MoHP Goma Chemjong. "If the recommendations of the task force had been implemented, smuggling from the airport would have been controlled to a large extent," said a member of the task force.

At that time, the task force also interrogated Malhotra and Bimal Poddar about the negligence seen in airport security. The incidents of smuggling from the airport, ranging from gold smuggling to chimpanzee trafficking, have exposed the weaknesses in the security system. Even in such a situation, the government is protecting the controversial businessmen by entrusting them with the management of the airport. Upon discovering that Malhotra and his partners were involved in the gold smuggling incidents through the airport, authorities arrested and initiated investigations against Poddar, Pawan Agarwal and Mahabir Golyan.

A study task force was formed under the leadership of SP Krishna Prasad Koirala in the airport five years ago in order to strengthen the security system. The task force also pointed out various weaknesses in the airport's security and suggested measures for improvement. The task force suggested that ultramodern body scanners and X-ray machines should be installed at the airport, uniforms should be provided to all employees, and passes should not be given except in urgent cases. The proposal made by the then Director General of the Department of Customs, Laxmi Niraula, to install an ultramodern body scanner machine was ignored. Two years ago there was an increase in gold smuggling and the task force proposed to purchase and install a powerful scanner machine to control the misconduct.

A machine called CT Explosives Detective System (CTEDS) was recommended to be purchased. Without buying the said machine, the old machine continues to be used. The body scanner used for security checks at the airport has not even been connected to the international terminal. Although the police have repeatedly suggested purchasing body scanners as well as X-ray machines, the process for that has not been started.

Even though the airport generates millions of rupees in income, the government is negligent when it comes to investing in advanced technologies for security, benefiting the smugglers.

 
• CCTV
 
• TIA
 
• DRI