Confusion and anxiety prevailed at the cargo complex of the Thiruvananthapuram airport in the first week of July last year when a customs team intercepted suspicious baggage sent through the diplomatic channel from Dubai. The scene is not much different even after a year.
While the initial confusion was over the worsening of diplomatic relations between two friendly nations had the officials dared to check the baggage, now the customs are too perplexed to find a logical conclusion to the high-profile case that had rocked the state.
As many as nine cases were registered by the five central agencies and two state agencies that have been probing various angles related to the seizure of 30.245 kg of gold from the baggage addressed to a UAE diplomat at the Thiruvananthapuram consulate. However, nobody still knows who had sent the gold and who the end receiver was.
Here are the major developments so far that you don't want to miss:
June 30, 2020 -- Consignment containing gold addressed to UAE Consulate Admin Attache in Thiruvananthapuram sent from Dubai.
July 1 -- Consignment reached Thiruvananthapuram airport and customs refused to release it. Instead, customs sent a letter to MEA to open it. The same day, Bill of Entry to clear consignment filed from UAE Consulate.
July 2 -- MEA wrote to UAE Embassy for no-objection certificate to open the consignment.
July 3 -- UAE Consulate Admin Attache demanded returning consignment to Dubai.
July 4 -- MEA wrote second letter to UAE embassy for no-objection certificate and received the nod.
July 5 -- Customs, in the presence of Admin Attache, opened the consignment and found over 30 kg gold in it. Admin Attache refused to claim the gold in the consignment. A case registered by customs. Customs searched the residence of first accused and former Consulate PRO Sarith PS.
July 6 -- Sarith summoned to customs Kochi office and arrest recorded.
July 10 -- NIA registered FIR to probe terrorism aspect behind gold smuggling.
July 11 -- NIA arrested Swapna and Sandeep Nair from Bengaluru.
July 12 -- Mastermind Rameez KT arrested. ED registered a case to probe money laundering aspect behind gold smuggling.
July 14 -- Customs questioned former principal secretary M Sivasankar at Thiruvananthapuram.
July 23 -- NIA questioned Sivasankar at Thiruvananthapuram
July 27-28 -- Sivasankar questioned at NIA office in Kochi.
August 13 -- NIA team reached Dubai as part of the probe.
September 11 -- Former Minister K T Jaleel questioned by ED at Kochi.
September 16 -- Jaleel questioned by NIA at Kochi.
September 25 -- CBI registered FIR for receiving foreign fund for LIFE Mission project
September 30 -- Vigilance registered FIR for corruption in LIFE Mission project
October 7 -- ED files preliminary complaint against three accused persons.
October 18 -- Customs registered case for smuggling US dollars.
October 26 -- Muvattupuzha native Rabins Hameed deported and brought to Kochi by NIA.
October 28 -- ED arrested Sivasankar after Kerala High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
November 2 -- Vigilance registered case into LIFE Mission corruption incident.
November 9 -- Customs questioned Jaleel.
November 23 -- Customs arrested Sivasankar in gold smuggling case.
December 1 -- Accused Sarith P S and Swapna Suresh gave voluntary statement before a magistrate court.
December 17 -- Chief Minister's Additional Private Secretary C M Raveendran appeared before ED for interrogation.
December 24 -- ED filed chargesheet against Sivasankar.
January 5, 2021 -- NIA filed chargesheet against 20 accused persons.
February 3 -- Sivasankar released on bail.
March 17 -- Crime Branch registered FIR against ED for trying to arraign CM and ministers in gold smuggling case.
April 10 -- Customs questioned former Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan.
April 16 -- Kerala High Court quashes Crime Branch FIR.
June 16 -- Customs issues show-cause notice to 53 persons associated with the gold smuggling case.