NIA to probe into Kerala gold smuggling case
| Date :10-Jul-2020 |
NEW DELHI :
THE Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday allowed the National Investigation Agency to probe the gold smuggling case detected at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport in Kerala as the incident “may have serious implications for national security,” officials said.
The decision came a day after Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his “intervention for an effective investigation” into the seizure of gold worth crores of rupees from a “diplomatic baggage” at the airport in the State capital.
“The MHA permits the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the Thiruvananthapuram airport gold smuggling case, as the organised smuggling operation may have serious implications for national security,” a Home Ministry spokesperson said. The gold, weighing over 30 kg, was seized from the “diplomatic baggage” that had landed by air cargo at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport recently from the Gulf. The Customs Department has said that it suspected a smuggling syndicate had misused the name of a person who enjoys diplomatic immunity.
Kerala Police help sought to track woman wanted in gold smuggling case: CENTRAL agencies have sought the “assistance” of Kerala police in finding out the whereabouts of a woman, a former employee of a foreign country’s consulate in the State, wanted in connection with the sensational gold smuggling case.
Sources privy to the development told PTI that Central agencies have “written” to State police seeking its “technical assistance” in tracking down two absconding persons, a woman and her friend. Meanwhile, the absconding woman, a suspected prime accused in the case, has moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail. The woman moved bail application online.