Kathmandu police have seized more than 21.75 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately Rs 546 million, from a rented house in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu. Three Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with an alleged illegal gold processing and distribution operation.
The Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, which investigates serious crimes across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts, raided a house in Upper Bhangal, Budhanilkantha Municipality-2, on Thursday evening. The operation, codenamed ‘Bravo Golf’, uncovered 21 kilograms and 750.68 grams of gold, including loose pieces, biscuit-shaped bars, and gold in a paste-like form.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Santosh Khadka of the Crime Investigation Office stated that investigators initially received a tip-off about four kilograms of smuggled gold. However, the raid yielded a significantly larger quantity. Police encountered minor physical resistance from the Chinese nationals during the operation.
Police arrested Han Fei, 37, Zhou Longqing, 47, and Wang Jianzhen, 36, all Chinese citizens, in connection with the seizure. Investigators suspect the operation was directed from China, with the gold processed in Kathmandu and prepared for distribution to the local market.
The rented house, owned by a person surnamed Bista who currently lives in the United States, was allegedly leased by another Chinese national, Xu Can, for Rs 330,000 a month. Xu Can signed a rental agreement on July 24, paying four months’ rent in advance, amounting to Rs 1.32 million. Immigration records show Xu Can returned to China on August 15 and is not among those arrested.
Investigators believe the group used the two-and-a-half-storey house to melt smuggled gold, mould it into various shapes, and prepare it for distribution. The gold was allegedly brought into Nepal in a paste-like form, placed in a dryer, and then processed in a melting machine before being moulded into bars.
Police also seized a car from the compound of the rented house, which they believe was hired to transport the gold. Two one-kilogram gold bars, wrapped in paper and concealed in a compartment near the driver’s seat, were found inside the vehicle during the raid. The car had been rented from September 27 to October 11 at a rate of Rs 8,000 a day, with Han Fei allegedly hiring it after arriving in Kathmandu from China on September 27.
SSP Khadka stated that the discovery of finished gold bars in the car strengthens police suspicions that the group was preparing to transport the gold to a buyer or another destination. However, the precise destination of the gold has yet to be determined.
Further investigation is ongoing to identify other individuals or groups involved in the smuggling operation, determine how the gold was brought into Nepal, and establish the duration of the illegal facility’s operation. Details regarding the legal action against the arrested Chinese nationals are yet to be released.
