Indians involved in illegal trading of Uranium-like substances
Two Indians were among eight persons arrested in Kathmandu for possessing and trading uranium-like substances brought from India to be sold illegally in Nepal.
The police officers arrested the eight individuals after they recovered these substances from a car parked in the parking lot of a five-star hotel in Boudha in the outskirts of Kathmandu.
Among those arrested are two Indians identified as Upendra Kumar Mishra and Raju Thakur, both natives of Bihar, while the six others were all Nepal nationals, according to Nepali police.
“We have recovered some substances, which look like uranium. It will be sent to the laboratory to ascertain whether they are uranium,” Dinesh Mainali, Superintendent of Police from the Metropolitan Police Range said.
The arrests were made as they were preparing to sell the valuable item for 350 million rupees per kg.
During 2021 May and July twice Indian mafia members were apprehended selling illegal raw or enriched uranium but the Indian government played down the cases. In July 2021, Arms Control reported that “the incidents appears to be a growing nuclear security risk in the region.” Arms Control also quoted the Indian authorities as saying that “the source of the uranium is currently unknown and being investigated.” No further details of the material were provided.
Last year, four Nepalese nationals were arrested for possessing 2.5 kilogrammes of unprocessed uranium. One of the arrested individuals claimed that her father-in-law brought it from India where he worked in a uranium mine some 20 years ago.
Uranium is used to power nuclear reactors that produce electricity and to produce isotopes used for medical, industrial, and nuclear explosives.