Key accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case PS Sarith has been sent to seven-day custody of the National Investigation Agency. A special NIA court granted custody of Sarith to the investigation agency on Friday.
The NIA had earlier moved the trial court seeking his custody. Sarith had earlier been arrested by Customs officials in Thiruvananthapuram.
The NIA had filed a First Information Report (FIR) under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against four accused Sarith, Swapna, Sandeep Nair and Faizal Fareed, alleging that the ‘smuggled gold was used for terrorist activities’.
The NIA on Friday also produced before the court the car used by Swapna to flee Kerala. The agency had secured custody of Swapna for interrogation earlier.
Two more held by Customs
Two more persons were held by the Customs on Friday in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The persons have been identified as Aboobacker Pazhedath and Abdul Hameed PM of Kootingaladi in Malappuram. They have been sent to judicial custody by an Ernakulam court for 14 days.
The names of these two persons were reportedly revealed by Said Alavi, who was arrested in connection with the case on Wednesday.
House of accused searched
According to reports, Customs officials also searched the house of Faisal Fareed, an accused in the case, at Moonupeedika in Thrissur. The house was locked and the officials had secured the keys from residents of the neighbours.
The NIA also decided to issue a blue notice to Interpol in order to extradite Faisal Fareed in the case.
Faisal Fareed is the third accused in the gold smuggling case. He is believed to be in Dubai and is accused of having facilitated the smuggling from there.
In another development in the case, the gunman of a UAE Consular Officer attempted to take his own life on Friday and is currently under treatment in a Thiruvananthapuram hospital.
The Consular Official in whose name the smuggled bag had arrived in Kerala, had returned to UAE recently.