Kochi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the diplomatic baggage gold smuggling case in Kerala, on Monday arrested Rabins K Hameed, an accused who was deported by the UAE government. Hameed was arrested soon after he landed at the Cochin International Airport at 4.20 pm.
A resident of Muvattupuzha in Kerala's Ernakulam district, Hameed had been absconding after the probe into the smuggling case began. He, along with another accused Faisal Fareed, was arrested by the UAE police. Fareed is the third accused while Hameed is the 10th accused. Hameed was deported by the UAE government following Interpol's Blue Corner notice against him.
Hameed will be produced before a designated court on Tuesday for his remand by the agency, spokesperson and NIA Deputy Inspector General Sonia Narang said in a statement. The case pertains to the seizure of 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore on July 5 from diplomatic baggage at Air Cargo of Trivandrum International Airport by Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Cochin.
The probe agency had told a Special NIA court in Kochi about the arrest of the accused in UAE. The news was conveyed by the UAE authorities during the visit of the NIA team to Dubai in August as part of its probe into the case.
It said that during the preliminary visit of the NIA team there, the UAE authorities informed them that Fareed and Hameed had been arrested and that strict action would be taken against all conspirators, "as the accused in this case have attempted to damage the friendly relations between India and the UAE."
The NIA stated this in its counter, opposing the bail plea of seventh accused P. Mohammed Shafi.
The agency said the UAE authorities had also revealed that the crime was committed by Fareed and Hameed, pursuant to the conspiracy with other accused arrested in India and absconding in the UAE, "who all had knowingly funded, facilitated and smuggled gold through diplomatic cargo of the UAE consulate at Thiruvananthapuram by forging or deceitfully obtaining authorisation certificates from UAE diplomats."
Blue Corner Notices were issued against the fugitives, including Fareed, Hameed and four other accused, Siddiqul Akbar, Ahmed Kutty, Raju alias Rathees and Mohammed Shameer, for securing their presence in India.
Central agencies, including NIA, Customs and Enforcement Directorate, are conducting a separate probe into the seizure of gold worth nearly Rs 15 crore from a "diplomatic baggage" at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport on July 5.
Several persons, including two former employees of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, Swapna Suresh and Sarith P S, were arrested by the central agencies in connection with the case. The case also triggered a major political controversy in Kerala after it was found that senior bureaucrat M Sivasankar had close links with Swapna who worked in the state I-T department on contract basis. Sivasankar was removed from the post of the principal secretary to the chief minister after his name cropped up in the case.
