KATHMANDU: Gold smuggler Iltaf Hussain Ansari, who absconded from Kathmandu on July 29, has been arrested from Bara. Ansari's accomplices and traders were earlier arrested along with 15 kg of gold, 500 grams of silver and 500 grams of gold and two pistols.
Sanjay Patel of Gujarat, India, who is absconding with Ansari, has not been arrested yet. The gang including Ansari, Patel and Nilesh Sakhiya had fled from Sundhara after being chased by a police patrol team. The next day, the main accused Nilesh Sakhiya, his associates Vijay Patel, Kaushal Patel and Dewan Singh Patel were arrested. Apart from Kaushal, three others were arrested from Dumkibas in East Nawalparasi.
Police then continued searching for the other fugitive. Prashant Shrestha, Bahadur Singh Kathayat and Umesh Shrestha, a mobile shop operator in Bagbazar have been arrested on the same charge.
Manish Mallik of Kaligarh, New Road, who was coated with silver, was released after interrogation. Before being involved in gold and silver smuggling, Ansari was arrested for dealing in counterfeit Indian currency notes and was released on bail. Nilesh Sakhiya, an Indian citizen, had expanded the network of gold smuggling through Ansari.
Sakhiya is also an Indian filmmaker. He last made a film called 'Penalty' in 2019. According to a statement given to the police, Sakhiya had started smuggling gold after making a loss in film production.
According to a police source, Ansari will take the gold and silver recovered from Kathmandu to Birgunj and Sakhiya will take it to Gujarat.
They are also planning to defraud various places in India, including Gujarat, by claiming that they are genuine gold.
Meanwhile, a team of the Metropolitan Crime Branch has left for Bara to pick up Ansari. A team led by a police inspector was sent to pick up Ansari on Thursday morning. He was arrested by the Bara police on the basis of information provided by the branch.
The Scorpio (Ba 6 Cha 5519) used by Ansari while fleeing from Sundhara on July 29 was recovered by the police from Nakhipot area of Lalitpur on July 30.
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