Thiruvananthapuram: K.T. Ramees, the main accused in the Thiruvananthapuram airport gold smuggling case, reportedly destroyed a mobile phone which contained vital evidence.
Investigators said the phone could have contained vital clues that could have linked the accused to highly placed functionaries and even those in the UAE Consulate in the State capital.
The smuggling ring was exposed after the Customs (preventive) wing made a 30-kg gold seizure at the airport here on July 5. The parcel was addressed to the UAE consulate and was deemed to be diplomatic baggage. Later, Swapna Suresh, Sandeep, and Sarith were arrested for facilitating the smuggling.
Sources said Ramees destroyed the phone on the night of June 30. The Customs had detained the gold consignment on the day. A perplexing thing is that Ramees had not destroyed the phones and laptops used to contact the accused like Swapna, Sandeep, and Sarith. These equipments were seized from the possession of Ramees by the investigators. The reason why Ramees left these intact was also being probed.
Ramees had not divulged any information on what the phone contained, sources said. The investigating agencies think the phone could have been a giveaway in terms of his ‘influential’ links and high-level connections. In this context, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had secured the three-day custody of Ramees for further questioning.
On Sarith’s arrest, it was evident to Ramees that the investigators would reach him too. This is being considered a reason why the phone was destroyed. The other 11 accused questioned till now are unaware of this phone number in possession of Ramees. So, the inference is that this device was used to exclusively communicate with someone else involved in the smuggling ring other than the 11 listed as accused.
Ramees had taken the NIA to the place where he destroyed the phone. However, no trace of the phone could be found. The NIA is looking at other options to unravel the network set by Ramees.
Customs seeks custody again
The Customs (preventive) wing has moved the Economic Offences court seeking custody of smuggling accused KT Ramees and Mohammed Shafi. The Customs is seeking a seven-day custody. The custody application said both the accused were found to be deliberately obliterating facts to subvert the investigation. It said the accused need to be questioned again to gain clarity on vital aspects. Investigating officer Vivek Vasudevan Nair said in his application in court that the custody application was delayed as the COVID test result of the accused had not been available.
The Customs found itself limping with the investigation even after registering the case initially as the NIA and the ED came into the picture. The Customs had made no headway after the July 5 seizure and pressure was mounting on the agency to list the charges and build a case.
