Kochi: Customs officials in Dubai had blocked twice attempts to smuggle gold in diplomatic parcels meant for the UAE Consulate. They returned the parcels after finding gold in them in October and November 2019.
The experiment to smuggle gold using diplomatic baggage started in July 2019. After five successful shipments, when, as per the instructions of Swapna Suresh, the weight of smuggled gold was increased, Customs officials in Dubai became suspicious and checked the parcels. On the same day, the Dubai Customs had informed the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram about the attempt to smuggle more than 10 kg of gold in a diplomatic parcel.
Swapna Suresh is one of the main accused in the gold smuggling racket that the Customs officials at the Thiruvananthapuram Airport detected on July 5 after seizing 30 kg of gold from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate.
After a short break, gold was smuggled 15 more times without being caught after 'Dawood al-Arabi' took charge of the smuggling activity. Rabins K Hameed, who has been arrested, will be questioned by the NIA for more information about the smuggling activities.
Swapna had insisted that 10 kg of gold should be brought in each parcel cleared at the Trivandrum International Airport. But, on the instructions of K T Ramees, said to be the mastermind of the smuggling operations, 'Dawood al-Arabi' sent more than 20 kg of gold each time.
Sandeep Nair, another accused in the custody of the NIA, has said that Ramees had hid this fact from Swapna and Sarith so as not to pay more as commission.
Ramees had told them that the parcel that was to be cleared on July 1 at the Trivandrum airport but was detained contained 18 kg of gold. Swapna and Sandeep, however, came to know that it had 30 kilogrammes only when Customs officials checked it and revealed the quantity. Feeling cheated, they decided to reveal Ramees’ involvement in the case.
Is ‘Dawood Al Arabi’ a Malayali?
The investigation team believes that ‘Dawood Al Arabi’ is not a real name. They are not ruling out the possibility of the person referred by that name being a Malayali.
Attache Rashid Khamis of the UAE Consulate had informed Swapna that a 'highly influential Malayali' had intervened to try to get the detained parcel containing gold returned to Dubai without it being opened and checked. The attache had told Swapna not to fear, saying that person was an expert in such dealings.
The investigating officials’ suspicion that ‘Dawood Al Arabi’ and the Malayali mentioned by attache could be one and the same person.
Rabins not cooperating: NIA
Rabins K Hameed, 42, the 10th accused, is not cooperating during questioning about the gold smuggling case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has told the court. The agency said that it was Rabins who had arranged for the gold in Dubai that was smuggled 21 times to Kerala in diplomatic parcels. The court has remanded the accused in NIA custody for seven day
Rabins has not disclosed how many mobile phones and digital devices he had used. Rabins led the operations in Dubai to receive the hawala money from Kerala, buy gold with the amount and hide it in diplomatic parcels by making alterations to them.
Rabins was arrested and jailed by the UAE police in late July itself at the request of the NIA. Customs and ED will also question him.
