By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Nov. 30: Passengers returning from abroad have been subjected to strict checks at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, on suspicion of gold smuggling.
Following the tight security measures at the airport, long queue was seen from Monday at the airport customs.

“On Monday, the airport customs strictly checked about 200 passengers coming to Nepal from Dubai, Qatar and Malaysia. Passengers, who landed in Kathmandu on Monday morning, had to wait for more than an hour to get out of the airport because of the large crowd,” said Mahesh Bhattarai, Chief of the airport customs office.

Bhattarai said that the investigation had been tightened on suspicion of smuggling raw gold by making earrings and other forms of jewellery from the returnees.
“Passenger checks have been tightened on suspicion that the Jhiti-Gunta facility has been misused. It was a bit crowded in the morning and it may increase in the evening,” Bhattarai told The Rising Nepal on Monday.

Bhattarai claimed that security had been tightened for those bringing gold against the rule to make them pay the revenue and that they had resorted to the move in light of growing risk of sending gold with the homebound Nepalis by smugglers.
According to the Jhiti-Gunta rule, passengers bringing up to 50 grams of gold as jewellery do not have to pay any revenue. However, those bringing up to 200 grams in the form of jewellery will have to.

Similarly, revenue has been made mandatory if 50 grams or more of raw gold is imported under any pretext, said Bhattarai.
Similarly, 15 items, including clothing, shoes, and cosmetics, can be imported by paying 40 per cent tax in line with the provision of the Jhiti-Gunta. Likewise, 40 per cent tax will be imposed on the import of up to 200 sticks of cigarettes and 50 sticks of cigars.

“By importing raw gold in the shape of earrings and other jewellery, those who enter Nepal have been put under close observation,” said Bhattarai.
According to the customs office, security checks on passengers coming from Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Malaysia, who may enter Nepal illegally, have been kept under tight scrutiny. Airport Police Chief and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajesh Bastola said that the vigilance had been upped on the passengers coming to Nepal to prevent the spread of COVID-19’s new variant as well as illegal gold smuggling.