Published 20:47 IST, August 14th 2020
Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA arrests four more people, Swapna Suresh sent to ED custody
Cracking down on the gold smuggling in Kerala, on Thursday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 4 more accused - 20 people arrested till date
Cracking down on the gold smuggling in Kerala, on Thursday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested 4 more accused - Mohamed Anwar, Hamzath Abdu Salam, Samju, and Hamjad Ali. During custodial interrogation of the earlier arrested accused, it was revealed that these 4 provided funds for procuring and smuggling gold into India. Searches have been carried out at their houses at 6 locations in Malappuram & Kozhikode on Friday. So far, the NIA has arrested 20 accused in connection with the case.
Swapna Suresh & 3 others sent to ED custody
Earlier in the day, a Kochi court sent three key accused — Swapna Suresh, Sarith PS, and Sandeep Nair — to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). It directed the ED to conduct interrogation of Swapna Suresh should take place from 10 am to 5 pm and noted that it will take action if the accused faces mental torture in custody. A Kochi court had just a day earlier dismissed the bail petition of Swapna Suresh in connection with a case being probed by the Customs Department.
What is the 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 and was arrested, told the Customs about the role of Swapna Suresh, an ex-Consulate employee working as the manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure Limited. The NIA which took over the case on July 9 confiscated a bag containing documents of dubious financial dealings while arresting Suresh and Nair. Moreover, various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 against the accused — Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair — in the case.
The case took a political turn after photos of Suresh with CM Pinarayi Vijayan surfaced allegedly attending several parties where he was present. Moreover, Principal Secretary to CM M Sivasankar has been replaced after his role in hiring Suresh and his contact with her came under probe. The Police have submitted a report to the NIA, highlighting that over 100 kgs of gold have been smuggled in and out of India along with Rs 1000 crore of hawala transactions in the past one year with Koduvally area of Kozhikode district as the 'hub of smuggling'.
Updated 20:47 IST, August 14th 2020