KOCHI: The customs probing the gold smuggling attempt through the Karipur airport and subsequent road accident at Ramanattukara that claimed five persons last week has found that prime suspect and former DYFI member Arjun Ayanki was the real owner of the car that was involved in gold heists. He had been leading a luxurious life without any known source of income, it said.
The customs, which produced Ayanki before the Ernakulam Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offence) Court on Tuesday, said he was the real owner of the car, though it was registered in the name of C Sajesh, who was dismissed by the DYFI Kannur district unit on Saturday as its Chembilode area secretary following his links with the gold heist gangs.This was stated in the remand report submitted by the customs when Arjun was produced at the court. The court granted his custody to the customs till July 6.
In its petition, the customs said it has found that many youngsters are being used by gangs as carriers and snatch the smuggled gold, besides giving protection for the movement of smuggled gold. “This trend which is a social menace warrants an in-depth investigation,” the petition said.The customs, meanwhile, has also issued summons to Sajesh to appear for interrogation at its office in Kochi on Wednesday. Sajesh was working as a gold appraiser at a CPM-governed cooperative bank, the customs said. “Though the car in which Arjun had reached Kozhikode (Karipur) airport was registered in the name of Sajesh, the investigation revealed that Arjun was the actual owner of the car and Sajesh was only a benami,” the customs said.
The customs on Tuesday sought Arjun’s custody for 14 days as he was giving “evasive answers” during interrogation. Arjun had also destroyed his mobile phone and other identity details before appearing for the interrogation. He told customs that he had lost his mobile phone in a river while he was hiding from media persons, who came to report after his car was spotted among the bushes in a hillock near the Pariyaram Medical College Hospital on Monday.”
He refused to cooperate with the investigation and gave fabricated answers to the questions. Arjun’s statement is contrary to the statement of Muhammad Shafeeque, the intercepted carrier who had deposed that the gold was smuggled for Arjun, who was present at the airport. WhatsApp chats and voice clippings prove that Arjun was directly connected with the passenger and was also the mastermind behind the smuggling,” said the customs report.Arjun claimed that he only accompanied his friend Ramees to Karipur airport. Ramees reached there to receive Rs 15,000 he had lent to Shafeeque. According to him, Ramees had given Rs 15,000 to Shafeeque last year in Dubai.
However, Arjun admitted that he was aware that Shafeeque was arriving at the airport with some contraband goods and that he would receive Rs 45,000 in remuneration when he handed these over to the persons concerned outside the airport. Arjun also deposed that Ramees was supposed to get his Rs 15,000 from this amount.Meanwhile, Shafeeque was brought to the customs office in Kochi after the court granted the agency his custody for seven days. Shafeeque was lodged at a jail in Manjeri, Malappuram. Shafeeque who arrived with 2.33kg gold consignment at Karipur airport was intercepted by customs officials on June 21.