Kerala gold smuggling: Judicial custody of 3 accused extended; ED summons more people

On Wednesday, a special PMLA court in Kochi extended the judicial custody of Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the accused in the gold smuggling case till September 9. The Enforcement Directorate informed the court that notices had been issued to more people who allegedly paid commissions to Suresh. In its report filed before the PMLA court, the agency mentioned that Sane Venture LLP Director Vinod PV had denied paying any commission to Suresh. 

It revealed that suspended bureaucrat M Sivasankar's chartered accountant Venugopal had a joint bank locker with Swapna Suresh. The ED seized cash and gold ornaments from this locker. According to the agency, Venugopal admitted that Suresh had not informed him of the source of the cash and the gold. 

Read: Kerala Secretariat Fire: BJP, Congress Claim Gold Smuggling Case Proof Destroyed By Govt

Kerala 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. 

Following the backlash over her appointment, she was sacked by the state government. The NIA has already registered an FIR against Sarith Kumar, Swapna Suresh, Fazil Fareed, Sandeep Nair, and others. Various sections of the UAPA were slapped against the aforesaid individuals. The NIA has alleged that the smuggled gold was not used for jewellery purpose but for funding terror activities.

On August 24, the NIA arrested 4 more persons- Jifsal CV, Aboobacker P, Muhammed Abdu Shameem and Abdul Hameed PM in connection with this case. During the searches carried out at the houses of these accused persons in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts, several digital devices and incriminating documents were seized. So far, NIA has arraigned 25 accused out of which 20 persons have been arrested. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: NIA Arrests Four More People, Swapna Suresh Sent To ED Custody

Probe into the destruction of files

Earlier in the day, the Kerala government constituted a multi-departmental committee to inquire into the technical causes of the fire which broke out at the state secretariat. Claiming that the fire was no coincidence, the opposition alleged that files pertaining to the Kerala gold smuggling case were destroyed in the fire. The inquiry committee will focus on ascertaining the probable cause of the fire and the quantum of losses including the destruction of physical files. It shall also give a prima facie finding on the possibility of sabotage and the steps to be taken for preventing such instances in the future. 

Read: Kerala Gold Smuggling: NIA Seizes 982 Gms Gold, Rs 1 Cr From Swapna Suresh's Bank Accounts