KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Kerala gold smuggling case on Wednesday said it suspects that the accused have links to Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company.
The suspicion was raised by the national agency when the bail petition of seven accused persons was considered by the NIA court in Kochi.
NIA prosecutor Arjun Ambalapatta submitted that accused Rameez KT and Sharafudheen had travelled to Tanzania and visited shops in the African country where guns are sold. In Tanzania, Rameez attempted to procure a licence for the diamond business. He later smuggled gold to the UAE, the NIA prosecutor said. From the UAE, he brought gold to Kerala, he added.
The NIA also retrieved a photo of Sharafudheen holding a rifle in Tanzania. "Tanzania and Dubai are the main places where the D-company is active. In fact, D-company's affairs in Tanzania are handled by a South Indian named Firoz Oasis. We suspect Rameez's links with D-company. Rameez was caught by the Customs in November 2019 for smuggling 13 .22 mm bore rifles. This happened when the gold smuggling was taking place," Arjun submitted.
The NIA's deposition on Wednesday comes after the NIA court repeatedly told the national agency that it was yet to prove the terror links of the gold smuggling accused in the case.