Gold smuggling case; Suspect hiding in Dubai arrested

KOCHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested Ratheesh, Kuniyilveedu, Thalassery who had been evading arrest in Dubai in connection with the gold smuggling case. Ratheesh was brought from Dubai to Mumbai and subsequently arrested. The NIA had issued a lookout notice for Ratheesh. Five more people involved in the case remain absconding.

On July 5, 2020, customs officials seized 30 kg of gold valued at Rs 14.82 crore from a bag that had arrived at the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram at the airport. During the course of the investigation, Swapna Suresh, a former officer of the consulate along with P S Sarith, Sandeep Nair and others were arrested. Additionally, Chief Minister's Principal Secretary M Sivashankar faced accusations in the case. The NIA registered the case with consideration for international relations. In the charge sheet, the NIA stated that the substantial gold smuggling operation posed a threat to the country's financial security and was classified as a terrorist act.

The NIA determined that Ratheesh, an associate of Hamsath Abdu Salam, who had been apprehended earlier, was responsible for delivering the smuggled gold, which arrived via Thiruvananthapuram airport, to a person named Nandakumar in Coimbatore for sale. The NIA alleges that Ratheesh is a member of a group that engaged in large-scale gold smuggling into India from various countries through diplomatic channels during the years 2019-2020. A charge sheet against 20 accused individuals was filed on January 5, 2021.