KOCHI: The Customs will issue a third notice to K Ayyappan, additional private secretary to Kerala speaker P Sreeramakrishnan, after he did not turn up for interrogation before the agency on Wednesday in the case related to smuggling through the diplomatic channel.
"We will issue a third notice soon," a Customs officer told The New Indian Express.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ayyappan's response to the Customs notice, in which he expressed his inability to appear for the interrogation, was received by the investigation team.
The Customs first issued a notice to Ayyappan on Monday asking him to appear for questioning on Tuesday at Kochi. However, he refused to appear claiming that he did not receive a notice. Later, the second notice was issued on Tuesday evening asking him to appear for questioning at its office in Kochi on Wednesday.
"On Wednesday morning, he sent an email claiming that he cannot appear as he is busy preparing for the Assembly budget session which will start on Friday. Now we will issue a third and final notice after which we will take stringent action for not complying with the notice," the officer said.
On Tuesday evening, the agency sent the notice via WhatsApp and e-mail, the officer said.
"We also made a call informing about the notice sent to him. Similarly, on Monday, we had sent a notice via WhatsApp which he did not see," the Customs officer said.
The Customs received information about Ayyappan from the statement given by the accused persons Swapna Suresh and Sarith PS. Both stuck to their stand when a confession statement under section 164 of CrPC was recorded by a Judicial First Class Magistrate on the request of the Customs, officials said.
After going through their statement, the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offence) also observed that big names are involved in the case. The Customs recorded the statements of two drivers of the UAE Consulate who made corroborative statements connecting Ayyappan with Swapna and Sarith based on which a notice was given to him for interrogation.