11 Indians arrested in Pokhara for illegal gold and silver trade

Police in Kaski have arrested 11 Indian nationals in Pokhara for involvement in illegal gold and silver trading.

The suspects, from Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Kolkata, were living in four different wards of Pokhara. They include Rajendra Ramchandra Jagatap (41), Sunita Pawar (40), Manik Lal Adat (45), Asit Var (35), Tapas Samant (44), Ujwal Bhowmik (38), Sandeep Dhap (35), Somanath Pal (41), Deepak Samant (47), Govinda Dinda (47), and Probhas Majhi (49). Police said they were engaged in goldsmithing and illegal precious metal trade.

They were arrested based on information about illegal activities in wards 2, 3, 4, and 9 of Pokhara, according to Kaski police chief SP Shyam Babu Oliya. The operation, named “Operation Yellow Metal,” began at 4 pm on Friday with teams from Gandaki Province Police, Kaski District Police, and other units.

From them, police seized 549 tola 40 lal (6.4 kg) of gold, 444 tola 73 lal (5.3 kg) of silver, and Rs 514,665 in cash. Police said the gold and silver were brought from India, processed in Pokhara, and then sold.

Another suspect, Sanjay Dhaw, fled after learning about the police raid, leaving behind 13 tola 58 lal gold, 4 tola 23 lal silver, and Rs 169,000 in cash.

According to DSP Hari Bahadur Basnet, the arrested individuals and the confiscated items will be sent to the Revenue Investigation Office in Butwal for further investigation. The seized gold is valued at around Rs 110.1 million and the silver at Rs 1.039 million.