Kerala gold smuggling case: Customs imposes fine of around ₹66 crore on 44 accused

Customs department has imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and ₹6 crore on prime accused Swapna Suresh

M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Customs department has imposed a penalty of ₹50 lakh on M. Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and ₹6 crore on the prime accused Swapna Suresh in connection with the case related to the smuggling of gold through the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

The fine has been imposed by the Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Kochi, under the Section 112 (a) and (b) of the Customs Act, 1962 for improper importation of goods. A total of about ₹66.6 crore has been imposed on the 44 accused, including two former diplomats of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

A penalty of ₹6 crore has been imposed on Jamal Husein Alzaabi, the then Consul General, UAE Consulate, Thiruvananthapuram. The Customs has imposed a penalty of ₹6 crore on Rashed Khamis Alimusaiqri Al Ashmei, the then Admin Attaché and Ex Charge de ‘Affairs of the Consulate.

The Customs officials at the international airport in Thiruvananthapuram had seized gold weighing over 30 kg valued at around ₹14.8 crore on July 5, 2020. It was found inside the diplomatic baggage and addressed to the UAE Consulate. Mr. Sivasankar was arrested by the Customs after Swapna Suresh submitted that he had abetted the gold smuggling activities and was “in the know of things”.

The order stated that the key accused, including P.S. Sarith and Sandeep Nair. have to pay a fine of ₹6 crore each. K. T. Rameez of Malappuram, considered as the mastermind behind the gold smuggling case, should also pay a fine of ₹6 crore. Cappithan Agencies, Customs broker, has to remit a fine of ₹4 crore. S. Jayashankar, husband of Swapna Suresh, has been imposed a fine of ₹2 crore.

The Customs stated that the smuggling racket had successfully smuggled about 136.8 kg of gold between July 15, 2019 and June 27, 2020 through the Air Cargo Complex, Thiruvananthapuram.

The smuggling syndicate also illegally routed the sale proceeds of the smuggled gold to Dubai through hawala channels which was further used for purchase of the next consignment of gold intended to be smuggled into India, and continued this process throughout the operations, it said.