The Customs Department has arrested a gold smuggler K T Ramees from Malappuram. He is a native of Vettattur in Perinthalmanna.
Ramees has been taken to Kochi, where he will be questioned and then produced in court.
He is also accused of trying to smuggle guns through the Nedumbassery airport in Kochi. The Customs Department had seized six rifles in two bags. In this case, too, the attempt was to smuggle the rifles through the green channel.
The Customs officers also raided Ramees' house on Sunday.
Meanwhile, investigators said Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the two accused in the Trivandrum International Airport smuggling case, had planned to flee from Bengaluru.
The two were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday evening. The NIA has seized their passport. It also recovered Rs 2 lakh from them.
The two reached Bengaluru on Thursday night. They took a room on Saturday, but were arrested by the NIA about half-an-hour later. They were taken to the NIA office in Domlur for questioning.
Swapna had taken a serviced apartment in Koramangala 7th Block on rent. Her husband and two children were with her.
Swapna had been on the run since July 5 when the Customs officials at the Trivandrum International Airport seized a diplomatic baggage with 30 kg of gold worth Rs 14.8 crore. The baggage was addressed to an official at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The NIA tracked her location after her daughter switched on a phone.
The head of the investigation, NIA DySP Radhakrishnan Pillai, and his team reached Bengaluru on Saturday night.
The NIA team has returned to Kochi with Swapna and Sandeep. They reached the NIA office in Kadavanthra around 2:30pm.
The NIA may hand over the two to the Customs Department after it interrogates them.
