A political 'connection' has been seen in the smuggling of foreign currency worth around 25 million rupees recovered from Tokha in Kathmandu. Sindhupalchok's Maoist activist Narayan Paudel has been dragged into the investigation of Euro and US dollar smuggling.

His brother and Rajkumar Paudel, who was elected as the Chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality from the Maoists in 074, was also accused of smuggling 15 kg of gold at that time. 

There are four brothers of Paudel, all of them are involved in some kind of scandal. Some are involved in gold smuggling, some in hundi, some in foreign currency and some in blood sandalwood smuggling. Bhai Rajkumar absconded after being caught in smuggling of 15 kg of gold soon after he was elected as Bhotekoshi rural municipality chairman in 074. Later, he was released on bail and in the 079 election, he was defeated by the Congress candidate. 

Brother Bachu Paudel is a suspect who has been repeatedly investigated by the police in the Hundi business. Eldest brother Dhruva was elected as the village president from Phulpingkatti in Bhotekoshi in 054. He was involved in the blood sandal business around 069 and was released after his arrest. 

Kusang Lama was arrested by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on Chait 4 with 13 lakh 69 thousand 150 Euros and 3 lakh 20 thousand 850 US dollars, which were to be smuggled from Rasuwagadhi to Kerung, China, hidden in the "false bottom" of the truck. Lama, along with the recovered foreign currency and the truck bearing No. 7 B 1652, was handed over to the Revenue Investigation Department by the police.

It was revealed during the investigation that the main planner of the smuggling was Maoist leader Paudel, who is a resident of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality of Sindhupalchok and is currently living in Kathmandu. Paudel's involvement has been confirmed based on repeated phone calls between Lama and Paudel. Poudel has been out of touch after the recovery of Euros and Dollars. Chandi Prasad Ghimire, Director General of the Revenue Investigation Department, says that an arrest warrant has been issued against Paudel by the court.

According to Ghimire, Paudel, who lives in Bhotekoshi-4 and Tokha-10 Mahadevtar, was preparing to send the foreign currency to China. "In the investigation so far, it has been revealed that Paudel is the owner of the foreign currency," said Ghimire.

During the investigation, Lama said that the recovered truck was bought by his brother. After he did not cooperate with the investigation, his mobile phone was sent for forensic examination. It was only then that details about smuggling were found with Maoist activist Paudel.

Both Paudel and Lama's home is Bhotekoshi. Lama Bhotekoshi is a resident of rural municipality-1. It has also been found that money has been deposited suspiciously in Lama's account on various dates. According to the officials involved in the investigation, this amount may have been obtained for being used as a porter and driver in smuggling.

Lama was living in Dera in Gokarneshwar Municipality-2 of Kathmandu with his family. After the disclosure, the department searched Paudel's house and other places in Tokha. "However, he has absconded with a maid at home," says Ghimire. 

Paudel's other three brothers also have a controversial past and seem to be intertwined with the smuggling network. "Under the guise of power and strength, there have been frequent obstacles and disruptions to investigate them from the past," says a police officer, "this time too, it cannot be said that the fate of the past has not been repeated." CIB arrested Deepak Sah from Dhanusha with 1 kg of gold after Sherpa gave a statement that 2 kg of gold had gone to Janakpur. At that time, Shah had given a statement to the CIB officer that 1 kg had reached India and the remaining 1 kg was with him. Rajkumar escaped immediately by showing a young man who had hired him to work in his house.

Although 22 kg of gold was imported from China, only 15 kg was recovered from Tokha, later another 1 kg was recovered from Dhanusha and the rest of the gold was taken to India. After 7 years of that incident, it was revealed that Rajkumar's brother Narayan was going to smuggle 25 million rupees worth of Euros and US dollars to China through Rasuwagadhi crossing from Tokha.

Narayan, who is currently on the run for dollar smuggling, used to trade clothes from Khasa through 048/49. According to research sources, his activity in other businesses has increased by entering the smuggling network under the guise of that. "Even though he is a covert business, he is active in the smuggling business because he made a lot of money, it seems that he is keeping the power center under his control by influencing the leaders-employees, the police and other state institutions with the power of money," says a police officer who knows about his business in the past. 

Kusang Lama, known as 'Fuchche', was jailed for 5 years after failing to pay the bail. He was arrested with 7 kg of gold inside the air filter of a Toyota Hilux vehicle numbered Ba 8 Ch 7420 on 13 March 073. The bench of Kathmandu District Court Judge Tejendra Sharma Sapkota gave a verdict of 3 crore 16 lakh 26 thousand rupees and one year imprisonment on 26 June 2074. 

He had to spend five years in jail after failing to pay the stipulated fine. In his statement in the court at that time, Lama said that he had started driving the vehicle in which the gold was found only 15 days ago. He said in the court statement, 'The car belongs to Indralal Shrestha, I drove it by paying 70,000 monthly rent to him. Bhote brought the seized gold from China to Kerung and sent it to me to take it to Kathmandu.

Lama told the court that he did not know the name of Rasuwa and that the driver who was allowed to go to China had brought it. He said in the statement, "I took the gold from Timure and put it in the car No. 8 Ch 7420 that I was driving and brought it to Kathmandu."

In the court statement, he said that the gold would be given to him after he called Kathmandu Swayambhu and he said that he would get 120,000 rupees for bringing the gold. In the statement, Lama had said, "The said gold is not mine, there is no evidence of buying that gold, I am only a porter." But the court convicted him because 7 kg of gold was recovered from Lama along with the vehicle, but he could not reveal who the gold belonged to.