Kerala: AIU seizes 100-grams of gold from Kozhikode International Airport

In yet another gold smuggling incident reported in Kerala, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Kozhikode International Airport seized 100-grams of gold, 100 packets of tobacco, and an iPhone from a passenger. Earlier this month, the authorities at Kozhikode airport had also seized 653 grams of gold and 10,000 cigarettes from the possession of four passengers traveling by two different flights.

Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), Kochi, Kerala apprised about the incident and said that the passenger was traveling from Sharjah.

READ: Kerala Congress links gold smuggling case with Sandalwood drug bust; demands CBI probe

Similar incidents in Kerala

On September 5,  the Airport Intelligence Unit (AIU), Calicut seized 700 gm gold from a passenger traveling from Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah. Gold worth Rs 32.67 Lakhs concealed inside a pressure cooker was recovered from the passenger who boarded flight SG 9760. The AIU officials opened the base of the cooker, to recover the metal. The passenger had been arrested.

In a similar incident on September 2, the AIU in Kerala seized 1.12 kgs gold in compound form (978.5 gram extracted) valued at Rs 50.42 lakhs from a passenger in Kannur International Airport. Earlier on August 31, the AIU in Thiruvananthapuram seized 225.38 grams of gold in foil form valued at Rs 11.11 lakhs, concealed inside a trolley bag.

READ: Kerala gold smuggling case: Panel formed to review bureaucrat M Sivasankar's suspension

Kerala gold smuggling case

All of these developments also come at the backdrop of the ongoing investigation in the Kerala Gold Smuggling case where 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 Suresh 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.

READ: Owners of Kerala-based finance firm held in Rs 2000 crore fraud

READ: Kerala: AIU seizes gold worth Rs 32.67 lakhs at Calicut airport, passenger held