A Canadian national has been arrested along with 9.135 kilograms of gold from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu on Thursday.

A team of the TIA Customs Office apprehended 35-year-old Canadian citizen Mohammad Kamal Mahagob during security screening last night.

Mohammad who came to Kathmandu from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was caught at 12 am last night after more than 9 kg of semi-liquid gold was found wrapped with plastic around his body, informed Office Chief Arun Pokharel.

He further shared Mahagob is currently under the custody of the customs office and a further investigation is underway.

Tribhuvan International Airport is a major route for gold smuggling into Nepal with many racketeers mainly using returnee Nepali migrant workers and foreigners, in the pretext of being tourists, to smuggle gold to Nepal.

With the demand for gold increasing in the market, the price of gold has reached a staggering Rs 106,300 per tola.