Customs Department suspends employees involved in 100 kg gold smuggling incident at TIA

KATHMANDU: The Department of Customs has taken decisive action against its employees involved in a recent gold smuggling attempt at Tribhuvan International Airport customs office.

Approximately 100 kg of gold, cleverly disguised as ‘break shoe,’ was discovered during a routine inspection conducted by Officer Ramesh Chand and Inspector Kumar Dhakal on Tuesday.

Punya Bikram Khadka, the spokesperson of the customs department, confirmed that the process of suspending the involved employees has already been initiated.

The customs clearance process is the sole responsibility of the examiner and designated officer, and it is also their duty to issue the gate pass for transporting checked items. A committee has been formed by the department to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

Director General of Custom Department, Shobhakant Poudel presided over the discussion leading to this decision. The department will not only scrutinize the personnel directly involved in the inspection but also examine the possible involvement of other employees as deemed necessary.

To gather more comprehensive details about the incident, the airport customs office has retrieved CCTV footage. Furthermore, they are actively collecting information on the X-ray procedures used to examine the goods in question, as informed by Ambika Prasad Khanal, the spokesperson of the airport customs office.

The discovery of the smuggled gold was a result of a special investigation conducted by the Revenue Investigation Department.

The gold, which was concealed in a taxi, was seized during the investigation on Tuesday evening, leading to the arrest of five individuals. The authorities are currently searching for the mastermind behind the attempt to bring in the illicit gold.

The Customs Department is determined to maintain the integrity and security of the airport customs office, and these actions serve as a stern warning to those attempting to smuggle contraband items into the country.