Chinese Smuggler Discloses Acquisition of Nepali Passport in India

Yao Pucheng, a Chinese national who goes by the alias “Alex” and is one of the individuals arrested in the gold smuggling case, has admitted to obtaining a Nepali passport while in India by paying a sum of two and a half lakh Indian rupees.

The 36-year-old Pucheng, was apprehended on September 20, 2019, at the Delhi airport in India with 4 kilograms and 98 grams of gold.

Despite being released on bail of 5 lakh Indian rupees, his passport had not been returned to him.

Following his arrest, another individual identified as Lee Wen Sung, alias Ali, who is currently in Nepal, made a startling claim, stating, “I have also acquired Nepali citizenship and a passport, and I paid 10,000 RMB for it.”

Pucheng revealed that he obtained Nepali citizenship with the assistance of another Chinese individual whom Lee Wen Sung had encountered.

In his statement, Pucheng further disclosed that Lee Wen Sung had also been involved in a case related to the seizure of 83.53 kilograms of gold by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in India in 2021 during a molten metal operation. Lee Wen Sung had been arrested in that case but was subsequently released.

Remarkably, Pucheng stated that he did not even have to travel to Nepal to acquire his Nepali passport; instead, he secured it while being in India, simply by paying the required amount.