The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted multiple raids across Kerala on the residences and offices of persons alleged to be involved in the largescale illegal import of gold through the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport.
Officials privy to the case said that the CBI examinations were focussed on the business links and alleged “illicit” wealth of main suspect B. Radhakrishnan, Superintendent, Customs Air Intelligence Unit, Thiruvananthapuram. The agency was looking into the anti-corruption angle of the case.
The CBI had earlier told the Special Court here that gold smugglers could successfully run the gauntlet of various agencies at the Thiruvananthapuram airport for long because they had at least one pliant officer at all times at the X-ray scanning machine operated by the Customs department to detect contraband, firearms, narcotic drugs and explosives.
In court filings, the agency said that Mr. Radhakrishnan “would be present near the X-ray point at the Customs arrival hall,” to help carriers ferrying contraband gold “come out without detection” by other enforcers.
The CBI was probing whether anybody else in the Customs had helped Mr. Radhakrishnan or economically benefited from the gold smuggling operation. It also wanted to find out whether the accused had made any recent investments or operated bank accounts in the name of others.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, DRI, had earlier arrested Mr. Radhakrishnan on the charge of having abetted gold smuggling through the airport at the behest of a Dubai-based crime ring.
The CBI, which is probing the corruption angle in the case, had said “Radhakrishnan always took the initiative for doing luggage X-ray duty” on dates gold carriers arrived in Thiruvananthapuram from Dubai and Muscat.
The agency has also named eight other persons as accused in the international conspiracy to defraud the Central government of duty on gold imports for personal profit. ASP, CBI, T. V. Jose, is heading the inspections.
