Kathmandu : Businessman Rakesh Kumar Adukudiya, involved in the smuggling of quintals of gold from Hong Kong, is under investigation. After the seizure of smuggled gold hidden in the Break-Sue (a type of passenger ship) under the cover of Pacific, conducted by ‘Reddy Trade pvt’located in Budhanilkantha, Adukudiya is surrounded by suspicion and is currently under investigation.

Adukudiya, who has previously been cleared of involvement in the Gorakh Bikas Bank scandal and has had controversial dealings in the share market, is suspected to have been actively involved in smuggling gold from Nepal to India, as per the Revenue Investigation Department. As part of the investigation, the department conducted a raid on Adukudiya’s house in Kamal Pokhari on Wednesday and took control of some documents. After the seizure of gold, Adukudiya has become unreachable. He had previously been associated with some banks/financial institutions as a member of the executive committee.

The department’s team has also raided a house in Thamel and Lazimpat, where Chinese and Indian groups are believed to be residing. Sixty-six cartons, mentioning break-sue, have been seized. There are concerns that ‘Ready Trade’ is involved in smuggling gold before it gets inside Nepal. Prior to the seizure of quintals of gold, two foreigners, an Indian national Thupthen Chiring and a Chinese national 36-year-old Jekyung Lin, who were in the process of flying to China from Air China, have been arrested and are currently under investigation by the department.

In both China-Hong Kong and India, there are concerns about the presence of major criminal groups. Similarly, there are fears about the involvement of a group in Nepal. The director of the department, Navaraj Dhungana, revealed information about the ongoing investigation, including raids conducted in various places on Wednesday and the seizure of goods. The department has formed a team of three directors for the investigation, and the process of taking statements from arrested individuals is still ongoing.

On July 17, a quintal of gold was seized before it could be taken out of the country through the Tribhuvan International Airport and was recovered from the Sinamangal area on July 22. One bullion agent and another taxi driver were taken into custody during the operation. So far, 17 individuals, including airport officials, two buyers, and four bullion carriers, have been arrested for their involvement. One of the arrested individuals, Surendra Tamang from Nuwakot, is reportedly linked to gold smuggling.

Last month, businesswoman Adukiya had traveled from Tribhuvan International Airport to Hong Kong via India-Dubai. An official involved in the investigation stated that he had traveled to India from Tribhuvan Airport on June 26 and returned from Hong Kong to Tribhuvan Airport on July 5. Authorities have been continuously intercepting smuggled gold from Hong Kong and Dubai in the past, indicating that these countries are significant sources of illegal gold trade.

In the recent operation on July 21, one quintal of gold was seized before being sent through ready-to-trade, consisting of 1,997 kilograms of gold beads (beads cutters), one mechanical motor, and 1,180 kilograms of gold beads (brake Sue). These goods were sent by ‘Ready Trade Company’, Zongnan Transportation Company of Taiwan, and Jiangnan Fengtong Transportation Company of China. There are also concerns about the legitimacy of the company involved in sending the ‘ready-to-trade’ goods.

The criminal group is suspected to be involved in transporting such items from their homes and running the illegal ‘ready-to-trade’ business. Some individuals involved in the crime have been registered in the names of ordinary taxpayers from Dolakha.

The involved officials said that it is possible that the group could have established a company in the name of those individuals. The role of the airport officials, technical staff for inspection, and customs officers in the smuggling activities appears suspicious. Despite the employees providing reasons for keeping the extreme cartoon at work, they were terminated as per the group’s plan. Three employees, including officials, were arrested in this regard.