Three Chinese nationals arrested with around 21 kg of gold in Budhanilkantha

Kathmandu, October 9, 2026 — Police have arrested three Chinese nationals and seized approximately 21 kilograms of gold from a rented two-and-a-half-storey house in Budhanilkantha, where an illegal gold processing operation was allegedly being run.

A team from the Nepal Police Central Investigation Bureau’s Crime Investigation Office in Teku raided the house on Thursday evening. According to sources, officers found the suspects melting gold when they arrived. A brief scuffle reportedly occurred as police took them into custody.

During a search of the property, police also recovered equipment used to melt gold, test its purity and mould it into different shapes.

A senior police official told Onlinekhabar that the suspects had been bringing gold in both solid and liquid forms, processing it into different shapes as required and supplying it to others.

Preliminary findings suggest that the Chinese nationals had established an organised gold-processing operation at the rented property, which was fitted with a channel gate and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, according to a police official.

Investigators are working to determine through which border points the gold was brought into Nepal, who received the supplies and whether other individuals were involved in the operation.

Police said they were verifying the actual quantity and purity of the seized gold with assistance from officials of the Department of Quality and Measurement and representatives of the gold and silver traders’ association.

Police have said they will hold a press conference to provide further details about the three arrested Chinese nationals, the seized gold and the investigation.