Pokhara, June 7: Kaski Police have arrested two individuals for illegally importing gold ornaments from India and attempting to sell them in Nepal. The arrests were made in Pokhara-22, Pumdi, while the suspects were en route to Butwal after failing to sell the ornaments in various gold and silver shops around Pokhara Bazaar.

The accused have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, 49, of New Pratap Nagar GT Road, Amritsar-1, Punjab, and Ram Bahadur BK, 47, of Tilottama Municipality-16, Purba Bahiya. According to Kaski Police Chief SP Shyambabu Oliya, the two had been smuggling Indian-made ornaments and attempting to distribute them in Nepali markets, particularly in cities like Pokhara and Butwal.

Both individuals are silver ornament artisans by profession. Singh, a resident of Punjab, was engaged in crafting gold and silver jewelry in India. BK, his Nepali counterpart, assisted in transporting and selling the ornaments in Nepal. The duo has reportedly known each other for three years through Facebook.

During the arrest, authorities recovered more than 82 tolas of gold and silver ornaments. SP Oliya said that Singh had a recent history of selling gold jewelry in various Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur, Bihar, Odisha, Delhi, and Haryana. He added, "Singh appears to have devised a plan to expand his operation into Nepal by involving BK as a local accomplice."

It was further revealed that Singh had been procuring gold ornaments from Amarjit Sahu’s jewelry shop in Amritsar before trafficking them into Nepal. Police investigations show that Singh and BK arrived in Pokhara on the 4th of the month and attempted to sell the ornaments to several local shops. BK had reportedly traveled from Butwal with the expectation of receiving payment upon successful sale of the jewelry.

According to SP Oliya, the seized ornaments—excluding stones—carry a market value of approximately Rs 13 million as of Asar 20. The suspects, along with the confiscated items, will be handed over to the Department of Revenue Investigation in Kathmandu or its regional office in Butwal for further investigation and legal proceedings.

Police also credited a local gold and silver trader from Pokhara for assisting in the arrest by alerting authorities when the suspects approached shops with the illegal ornaments.