Customs officials arrested Shabin, son of A.A. Ibrahim Kutty, vice chairman of Thrikkakara Municipality, for his alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case, on Thursday.
He was picked up by the agency in connection with the seizure of 2.23 kg of gold, which was found concealed in a meat mincing machine. The agency had earlier detained a person, who had arrived at the Nedumbassery airport for receiving the consignment in which the yellow metal was found concealed.
Customs had interrogated Mr. Ibrahim Kutty, also an Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, on Wednesday after raiding his house on Tuesday in connection with the case.
The gold seizure and the case booked by the Customs have assumed political overtones, with the Opposition LDF demanding Mr. Ibrahim Kutty’s resignation. LDF councillors have also been staging protests against the civic administration.
At the same time, the IUML and the Congress have rallied behind Mr. Ibrahim Kutty, claiming that the LDF was targeting him with an eye on the impending bypoll in the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency.
Addressing the media on Thursday, League leaders asked the LDF to abstain from personally targeting Mr. Kutty, as he was not involved in the case. “Shabin has nothing to do with the League. He was associated with the LDF in the past and had secured several workers in Thrikkakara Municipality during the term of the previous council, which was led by the LDF,” they alleged.
League leaders Hamsa Parakkat, P.K. Jaleel, and P.A. Mammu demanded a probe into what they termed as an “unholy alliance between Shabin and CPI(M) leaders in Thrikkakara and the money trail.”
Since Mr. Ibrahim Kutty had no role in the case, he need not step down. A comprehensive inquiry into the shady deals involving Shabin and the CPI(M) is the need of the hour, they said.
District Congress Committee (DCC) president Mohammed Shiyas alleged that Shabin was associated with the DYFI and had funded the construction of an office of the CPI(M) in Thrikkakara. One of the CPI(M) councillors had moved the Kerala High Court against the decision of the UDF-led council to cancel the 47 contracts secured by Shabin with the support of the CPI(M), he alleged.
