KATHMANDU: Police have arrested Chudamani Upreti, aka Gorey of Urlabari, the alleged mastermind behind the smuggling of 33 kg gold and related murder of carrier Sanam Shakya.
Upreti has been arrested at a time when the counter arguments in cases related to the smuggling are underway at Morang District Court.
According to police source, he was arrested from Gaurighat in KMC-8 this morning. Investigation into this case has been given high priority.
Meanwhile, police have presented the arrested Upreti before the media by organising a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs, which was held at 12:30 pm today at the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to an official at the Ministry’s control section, Binod Bishwakarma.
Following an investigation opened in the wake of Shakya’s murder, Government Attorney’s Office of Morang on May 2 had filed cases against 63 persons at Morang District Court claiming that they had smuggled around 38 quintals of gold worth over Rs 17.018 billion over the years since 2015. Gore was at large ever since the death of Shakya, who had been electrocuted allegedly on Gorey’s instruction.
Superintendent of Police Bikashraj Khanal, the incharge of Makwanpur District Police Office, was also arrested in connection with the case, the murder of alleged carrier of smuggled gold, and the disappearance of 33 kg precious yellow metal.
Thirty-two of those charge-sheeted in connection with the smuggling and murder are still absconding.
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