ED shares update on Kerala gold smuggling case | Read here
Separate investigations are being conducted by ED, NIA, and Customs department into the racket that was unearthed with the seizure of gold worth ₹15 crore from the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020.
PremiumThe Enforcement Directorate has issued notice to the three accused in Kerala gold smuggling case who will appear before its Kochi office for interrogation today, Monday, at 10.30 am. The accused are identified as Swapna Suresh, Sarith PS and Sandeep Nair, according to the news agency ANI.
The federal agency had seized gold worth ₹2.51 crore from a "secret" chamber at the premises of a Malappuram-based jewellery house promoter on December 7. The jewellery house is an alleged beneficiary of the Kerala 'gold smuggling through diplomatic bag' case.
Action has already been taken against Aboobacker Pazhedath, the promoter of Malabar Jewellery and Fine Gold Jewellery, both based in Malappuram in Kerala and one of the shareholders of Atlas Gold Super Markets Pvt. Ltd., Kozhikode, ED said in an official statement.
Separate investigations are being conducted by ED, NIA, and Customs department into the racket that was unearthed with the seizure of gold worth ₹15 crore from the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020, as per PTI reports.
ED claimed that "Aboobaker Pazhedath of Malappuram is part of the gold smuggling syndicate headed by Sarith P S, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, under the patronage of IAS officer M Sivasankar (former principal secretary to the Kerala chief minister) and was one of the beneficiaries."
It further claimed that 3 kgs of gold belonged to Aboobacker Pazhedath, out of the smuggled gold seized by the Customs on July 5, 2020. Pazedath himself had admitted that around 3 kgs gold seized belonged to him.
The federal agency has conducted search operations at the said firms as well as the residential premises of Pazhedath that resulted in the recovery and seizure of 5.058 kg of gold worth ₹2.51 crore "secreted" in a chamber along with Indian currency of ₹3.79 lakh.
(With inputs from agencies)
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