Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, who were arrested in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case, have been taken into custody by the National Intelligence Agency. While the NIA sought permission to detain and interrogate for 10 days, the special court allowed 8 days for interrogation. Investigations by NIA officials have revealed that the gang has been involved in gold smuggling since September 2019 and has smuggled 150 kg of gold for 10 months.
The NIA had already told the special court that the smuggled gold had been used for terrorist activities during the initial investigation by the Home Ministry through various organizations. Swapna and Sarit worked at the UAE Embassy. It has been revealed that royal parcels are sent to Kerala through the embassy while working there. Swapna and Sarith have resigned without giving any reason. They have since made contact with Sandeep et al and started smuggling gold in September 2019. The investigation has revealed that they have used a fake brand of the United Arab Emirates for this purpose.
Details and evidence of those involved in the abduction are said to have been obtained from the bag seized from Sandeep. The National Intelligence Agency plans to hand over the bag to the court. Meanwhile, Income Tax officials are also investigating Swapna and Sandeep Nair. The United Arab Emirates has also launched an investigation into the matter, officials said.
The NIA special court has issued a non-bailable warrant for Faisal Fareed, a resident of Dubai. The order is being handed over to the Interpol and a Blue Corner Notice is to be issued to gather information about the culprit through them.
