Rapid security operation halts gold theft plot at Navoi Metallurgical Plant

In a swift operation led by the State Security Service in cooperation with local internal affairs, three employees at the 3rd Hydrometallurgical Plant of the “Navoiy kon-metallurgiya kombinati” have been arrested for an attempted theft of natural gold valued at approximately 2.1 billion Uzbek so‘m.

According to official reports, two shift supervisors and one departmental official at the plant conspired to enrich themselves by planning a large-scale theft. They allegedly concealed a 2.5‑kilogram batch of semi‑finished product within an internal air-cleaning duct—a batch later determined to contain 1,523 grams of pure gold. Based on current market prices, the gold is valued at 2,102,000,000 sum.

Law enforcement officials detailed that the suspects had pre‑arranged their plans to carry out the illicit act. A rapid operation was executed by the Navoiy branch of the State Security Service in close collaboration with internal affairs, which resulted in the immediate confiscation of the material. The full financial damages incurred have been recovered from the offending party.

The perpetrators now face criminal charges under Article 25—which covers preparation for and attempted commission of a crime—and Article 169, Part 4, Clause “a” of the Uzbek Criminal Code concerning theft. Authorities have vowed to continue a thorough investigation into the incident, underscoring Uzbekistan’s strict stance against illegal appropriation of fuel and energy resources.

This incident follows a previous case in the Bukhara region where a local agricultural enterprise leader was apprehended for attempting to sell state agricultural land at a fraction of its value.