KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate probing the money trail of the smuggling of gold through the diplomatic channel found that consignments were sent from different addresses including those of UAE nationals from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The ED officials suspect that the address details of the persons in the UAE were forged for the purpose.As per the probe by ED, 164kg of gold were brought in to Kerala on 21 occasions. “A diplomatic consignment can be sent from the UAE only if the copies of the passport and identity card of the diplomat who has to receive it are furnished before sending the consignment.
However, even the diplomats were unaware that diplomatic cargos were being sent using their documents. Only on two occasions, the consignments were sent using address details of Kaipamangalam native Faisal Fareed. The remaining consignments were sent by different persons using different addresses of UAE nationals,” an official said.However, the UAE consul-general in Thiruvananthapuram came to know in November 2019 that some consignments had come without his knowledge.
“Usually, the consignments came via Dubai-based airlines. However, in November, a consignment through the diplomatic channel was sent through another airline. The airline company passed the information on to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram after which the consul-general asked Swapna Suresh about the consignment. However, she said Sarith had brought some duty-free goods in the cargo,” an official said.
The ED claims that a gang worked for K T Rameez, the mastermind behind the smuggling from Dubai, to sent the gold. Initially, the gang sent around 5kg of gold each in different consignments. In June this year, they sent a consignment containing 25kg of gold. “However, the persons behind this have not been identified. We will record the arrest of Rameez and take him into custody to get information about the gang that was behind sending gold from abroad. As far as Faisal is concerned, we suspect that the gang paid some remuneration to him to sent the consignments,” the official said.
Earlier, the NIA and Customs had arraigned Muvattupuzha native Rabins Hameed as an accused claiming that he is the kingpin operating for gold smugglers in Dubai. “We have also come to know about his involvement in the case. But he was linked with Rameez. Swapna and Sarith had no direct links with Rabins,” he added.
NIA gets 4-day custody of 4 accused persons
Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday got four accused persons in custody for four days as part of the probe into the smuggling of gold through diplomatic channel. Mohamed Anwar T M, Hamzath Abdu Salam alias Kunjumon, Samju T M and Hamjad Ali, who were produced in the NIA court in Kochi, were sent in NIA custody following a petition. The four accused persons — suspected to be buyers and financiers of the smuggled gold — were first arrested by the Customs. Later, the NIA too recorded their arrest. So far, the NIA has arrested 20 persons in the case.
