Kochi: A gang of goons from Kochi had followed the gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh and her family to Bengaluru, the special branch of the Kerala Police has informed the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Swapna, who planned to surrender at the court in Kochi, later submitted the anticipatory bail plea in the High Court, as per the instructions of the smuggling racket.
Swapna and co-accused Sandeep Nair had been on the run after their name cropped up in the sensational case.
She was likely urged by her handlers to flee the state as she was booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). It was at this juncture that the unidentified vehicle followed Swapna's family. The vehicle had a Mattancherry registration number, but it is suspected to be fake. Reports had earlier said that the goons had links to the hawala network in the state.
It is not clear if the vehicle followed to ensure that Swapna and Sandeep Nair safely crossed the Kerala border or if the gang would have attacked her if Swapna tried to surrender in court.
It would be crucial for the investigation to find out on whose instructions her vehicle was followed.
The Customs had seized 30kg gold, worth Rs 13.5 crore, from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5. The Home Ministry had directed the NIA to take over the probe last week.
The NIA had arrested Swapna and Sandeep from Bengaluru on Saturday night. The first accused P S Sarith is already under custody, while the third accused Faizal Fareed is yet to be nabbed.
