Customs commissioner attacked by unidentified gang in Malappuram

MALAPPURAM: The Kondotty police on Friday registered a case in the attack on Customs Commissioner (Preventive) Sumit Kumar at Edavannappara by an unidentified gang a day earlier. The incident took place on Thursday afternoon when Kumar was travelling  in his official car from Kalpetta to Kozhikode. The police said the gang of unidentified persons followed and attacked his car. 

While the exact reason for the attack is not yet known, the police suspect that the gang must have targeted Kumar, who heads the Customs Commissionerate (Preventive) in Kochi which is investigating the case of gold smuggling through diplomatic channel. “They attacked the official vehicle of the officer. So, they might have planned it earlier. A detailed investigation will be conducted,” said a police officer. Kondotty SI Vimal V will investigate the case. 

Sumit said the gang had followed his car while he was travelling to Kozhikode. “It tried to make the attack look like a road accident. The officials who were with me in the car acted wisely and saved me from possible danger,” he said. He later took to social media and said, “A syndicate tried to attack me on road. They tried to make it look like an accident. The CCP (Customs Commissionerate (Preventive)) units are looking for the attackers,” he said.

Kumar suspects the involvement of a Koduvally-based gold smuggling racket behind the attack. “Such gangs tried to attack me three or four times earlier too. The investigations into those cases have not reached anywhere,” he said. 

Attacks on officials investigating gold smuggling cases are frequently reported from the district. Last year, a gang involved in gold smuggling had attacked the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials. Two officers were injured in the attack.