Kerala gold smuggling: NIA court remands Swapna Suresh & Sandeep Nair to judicial custody

On Sunday, a special NIA court in Kochi sent Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, accused in the gold smuggling case to judicial custody for three days. The application for NIA custody will be considered on July 13. However, they will now proceed to quarantine centres until their COVID-19 test results come out. While Suresh will go to a quarantine centre in Thrissur district, Nair shall be taken to a quarantine centre in Karukutty in Angamaly. 

After the NIA took over the case, it registered an FIR against Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair, and others. Various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 were slapped against the aforesaid individuals. Suresh and Nair were nabbed by the NIA from Bengaluru on Saturday. The investigative agency will probe whether the gold smuggling was linked to activities detrimental to national security. Meanwhile, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has welcomed the timely intervention of the Centre.

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: Customs Officials Summon ACAAI Member For Interrogation

Gold smuggling case

On July 5, Customs officials seized 30 kg of gold worth Rs.15 crore at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic cargo addressed to a person in the UAE Consulate. Sarith Kumar, who worked at the UAE Consulate was arrested in this regard. Reportedly, he told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-Consulate employee now working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited.

The case took a political turn after photos with Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan surfaced. It has been alleged that Swapna has links with the CM and has been seen with him at parties when she was working at the UAE Consulate. Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. Moreover, Principal Secretary to CM M Sivasankar has been replaced after his role in hiring Suresh came under the scanner. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: Accused Sandeep Nair, Swapna Suresh At NIA's Office

UAE starts independent probe

The UAE Embassy in India revealed that the UAE authorities had launched an independent investigation into the Kerala gold smuggling case. It noted that this probe shall ascertain the identity of the person/s who sent the cargo containing gold to the address of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Stressing that the culprits had committed a major crime, it stated that this incident had tarnished the reputation of the UAE Consulate. The UAE Embassy reiterated its commitment to cooperate with the Indian authorities and punishing the culprits. 

Read: Gold Smuggling Case: Activists Clash With Police Over Protest Demanding CM's Resignation