The Nepal Rastra Bank Tax Division has initiated the process of measuring and assessing a significant amount of gold that was smuggled illegally into Nepal through Tribhuvan International Airport. The Tax Department disclosed this information during a press conference held with eight leading journalists. According to Thaneswor Acharya, Director of the Tax Department, the confiscated gold weighs approximately 155 kilograms and 468 grams, including a Breaksuh (traditional gold ornament).
He stated, “This will be measured again at Napatol. We will verify and confirm the exact weight. But it takes around one hour to complete the final measurement.” As per Acharya, the gold confiscated during the raid had weighed 19 kilograms and 541 grams. After weighing the confiscated items, including Breaksuh and cartons, a total of 7 kilograms and 680 grams of gold was found.
He mentioned, “There are also some black substances among these. After removing all of these, we will proceed with the process of melting the gold into a bar. Before melting, it might need to be treated with chemicals or polished.”
After melting, it will be preserved as a sample. Then, further testing will be conducted, followed by a ‘fire assay’ process taking three days. After the gold is turned into a liquid state, impurities and chemicals are burned off. Only after these processes can the exact weight of the real gold be determined. Acharya stated that it takes about an hour to obtain the final facts about the actual weight of gold.
The Department of Revenue Investigation had safely secured 8 pokas (traditional gold ornaments) along with the seized Breaksuh and silver. For research purposes, the Revenue Investigation Department had assigned the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to conduct the investigation. Letters from the Revenue Department and the CIB had arrived on Sunday. All representatives were summoned, and the work of weighing the gold using a scale was carried out under the name of “Reddy Traders.”
Two smuggled parts of a vehicle, which came from Hong Kong under the name of “Ready Traders,” containing gold bars, were discovered and seized at Tribhuvan International Airport. The Revenue Investigation Department is studying how the gold managed to go out of the airport security system and customs.
For this purpose, the images from the CCTV cameras in the airport’s customs and cargo storage area, as well as additional images from X-ray machines, were collected for further investigation. The Department had taken control of these processes to ensure proper management.
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