Over `100cr worth gold smuggled into Kerala, says NIA

Kochi: Strongly opposing the bail plea of Kerala gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh, the NIA on Tuesday alleged in a special court here that she along with four co-accused had illegally brought in gold worth over `100 crore through diplomatic channel since November last year. In a detailed counter to the bail application moved by Suresh, the National Investigation Agency, probing the sensational case, also submitted that she had knowledge that the smuggled gold would be used for subversive activities and threaten the country’s security and monetary stability. “The accused A-1 to A-5 (Sarith, Suresh, Faisal Fareed, Sandeep Nair and Ramees) and others colluded and conspired to make use of this channel and smuggle gold along with the materials genuinely required by the foreign diplomats at consulate of UAE in Thiruvananthapuram. “Hence, instead of sending just the materials required by Consulate staff, co-conspirators including Fareed in UAE packed gold into various materials neatly hidden and submitted the baggage to the Air Cargo authorities at UAE,” the NIA said. On earlier occasions, since November, 2019, when such baggage reached Thiruvananthapuram Airport, Sarith collected it and handed over to Nair who in turn had taken it to his house and other places, opened it with the help of Ramees and other associates, the agency said. “The gold is then handed over to persons known and directed by A-5 to be used in lieu of cash for unlawful activities including funding of such activities,” the NIA said and submitted that using this process, the five accused had smuggled in gold around 20 times since November, 2019. — PTI