Kochi: As investigations into the gold smuggling carried out through diplomatic channel are well afoot, NIA sleuths have come across huge financial deposits and secret bank lockers of the accused including Swapna Suresh. Malappuram native K T Ramees has been identified as the leader of the racket that enjoyed links overseas and network with other similar gangs. The National Investigation Agency has conveyed these findings to its special court based here.
The deposits and lockers are being examined, the NIA stated in a remand report containing the confession statements of the two main accused in the case - Swapna and her accomplice Sandeep Nair.
The accused were involved in a conspiracy to damage the country's monetary stability by destabilising the economy, the report further said.
The agency also said it is suspected that the accused had used the proceeds of smuggling for financing terrorism through various means.
The proceeds of crime received by Suresh have been invested with various banking and non-banking channels including safe deposit lockers in banks. The details of the accounts have been collected and investigation on the disclosure is in progress, the investigation agency said.
Six phones and two laptops that belonged to Swapna have been seized. They contain many secret information, the NIA said, adding evidence from the two phones, which had face lock, has been retrieved.
The agency also stated it is trying to recover the deleted messages with the help of cyber-forensic experts.
The accused deliberately used the diplomatic baggage of UAE as a cover to transact illegal business and it may have serious repercussions in India's diplomatic relations with the UAE government and it is prejudicial to the monetary and economic security of India as well, said the NIA which carried out custodial interrogation of Suresh and Nair.
Customs to hand over Ramees
Gang leader Ramees has many connections overseas and with other gold smuggling networks, NIA said. He is currently in the custody of the Customs and the NIA will take him into custody to continue its investigations once the former completes its questioning, the agency said.
It was Ramees who suggested that the maximum amount of gold should be brought to India through the diplomatic channel during the COVID-19 lockdown. He also facilitated the delivery of the smuggled gold.
Investigations are progressing on the basis of the preliminary evidence that the gold was used for anti-national activities, investigating officer DySP C Radhakrishna Pillai said.
The NIA's remand report does not contain any adverse reference to suspended bureaucrat M Sivasankar, who was removed as principal secretary to the Kerala chief minister as well as IT secretary over his alleged links to some of the key accused in the smuggling case.
Custody extended
Meanwhile, the NIA custody of Suresh and Nair was extended till July 24 by the Special Court on Tuesday, even as prime accused Swapna Suresh moved a plea seeking bail claiming innocence.
Suresh and another accused Sandeep Nair were brought to the special NIA court here as the eight-day custody period granted to the National Investigation Agency ended on Tuesday.
Considering the agency's plea seeking extension of their custody, the court extended it till Friday.
Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair were arrested by the NIA from Bengaluru on July 11.
Central agencies have arrested 15 people in connection with the seizure of gold worth nearly Rs 14 crore from a "diplomatic baggage" at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport on July 5.
