Three Indians held in Nepal for gold smuggling

Nepal police on Friday arrested three Indian gold traders allegedly for involvement in gold smuggling, and seized 9.50 kg of the precious metal from them here.

Vikram Mittal (34) and Vivek Mittal (32) of Kalimpong, West Bengal, and Bhagirath Chaudhary (50) of Sikar, Rajasthan, are the arrested Indian nationals residing in Kathmandu.

Under the cover of gold trading, the three Indian nationals were involved in gold smuggling from China, Special Superintendent of Police Sarvendra Khanal of Kathmandu district said.

Khanal claimed one Chinese national of their gold smuggling ring is missing.

The gold, seized from the Indian nationals, was imported from across the China-Nepal border via Tatopani-Khasha.

Acting on a tip-off, police said, a team deployed from the Metropolitan Police Crime Divsion raided Shree Bhagya Laxmi Jewellers on Thursday on New Road in Kathmandu and confiscated the gold.

Police took all the three Indian nationals into custody.

According to police, 6.50 kg of the yellow metal was seized from the possession of Vikram Mittal, 2 kg from Vivek Mittal and one kilogramme from Chaudhary.

The haul costs more than half million or Indian Rs.30 million in Nepali market.

The Mittal duo owns the Shree Bhagya Laxmi Jewellers while Chaudhary reportedly is gold supplier to different jewellers in Kathmandu.

Police claimed the three were masterminds behind the organised gold smuggling racket and the have been sent to the Metropolitan Police Range, Kathmandu, for prosecution as per the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.