'Was stripped and brutally beaten', Arjun Ayanki comes up with allegation against Customs in court; probe team says it received electronic evidence from Shafi's home

KOCHI: Arjun Ayanki, the accused in the Karipur gold smuggling case, told the court that he was stripped naked and brutally beaten by the Customs team on the second day of his detention. Arjun Ayanki's revelation came when he was produced in court in the gold smuggling case. When the court asked whether there was no CCTV in the building, Arjun replied that he was beaten in the room of the Customs Superintendent.

Meanwhile, Customs told the court that Kodi Suni and Mohammad Shafi, who are serving jail terms in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case, acted as patrons of a smuggling ring based in Kannur, the Customs Court was told. The group used the cover of a political party and campaigned on social media. The customs officials revealed that youngsters were attracted to the party and were used for smuggling.

According to Customs, the culprits used the youth to carry out anti-social activities in the name of the party, and the money obtained thus was used for smuggling. Customs also informed the court that it had obtained some important electronic evidence from the house of Muhammad Shafi, the accused in the TP case who is currently on parole. It also stated that Shafi should be seated with Arjun for questioning.