Gold smuggling case: NIA says action taken to issue Interpol Blue Notices against accused

Amid the intensified probe in the Kerala gold smuggling case, NIA made new revelations in its application before the special court, asking for an extension of the judicial custody period of the accused. The case, which is being probed by the NIA, Enforcement Directorate, and the Customs, pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels.

As per an application submitted by the agency on Friday, the absconding accused in the case-- Fazil Fareed, Rabins Hameed, Sidhiqul Akbar, and Ahammed Kutty- are in UAE. The agency also mentioned that steps have been taken for issuing Blue Notices against them through INTERPOL to secure them for investigation.

"Therefore, a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against them has been obtained from the court. Steps have been taken for issuing Blue Notices against them through INTERPOL to secure them for investigation. The investigation has to be conducted abroad and investigation into roles of high profile individuals and consulate officials is also necessary to unearth all conspirators in this crime," NIA submitted.

NIA in its application also mentioned that the seized digital devices of the accused have been forwarded to the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram for cyber forensic analysis and the mirror image of the digital devices forwarded on July 24 have been received and scrutinized.

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Earlier in the day, NIA court extended the judicial custody of 12 accused persons till October 8, including Swapna Suresh, in the Kerala gold smuggling case. The 12 accused were produced before the court through video conferencing.

The court also rejected Swapna's bail petition. Prior to this, she had cited her health conditions for getting bail, but the court denied the same. The court also directed the prison authorities that, they should allow Swapna to meet her relatives in prison.

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About 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.

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READ: Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA court extends judicial custody of 12 accused till Oct 8