Kannur: The Customs has summoned for questioning two accused persons in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case, Kodi Suni and Mohammed Shafi, in connection with the Karipur gold smuggling case.
The summons were issued based on the deposition of Arjun Ayanki, now under arrest, that the duo had helped in looting gold from smugglers.
Shafi and Suni have been asked to present themselves for interrogation at Kochi on Wednesday. The summons to Shafi, now on parole, was delivered to his residential address. Suni’s summons would be served through the Superintendent of Viyyur Central Prison, where he has been lodged.
The Customs, which inspected Shafi’s residence at Chokli in the district, issued summons to Ayanki’s wife Amala and his friend, Yousef, a resident of Kakkad. They were also told to present themselves on Wednesday.
The sleuths could not inspect Suni’s house near Chokli since it was found locked. They inspected Ayanki’s house at Kappakkadavu, Azhikode, for about two hours, and questioned his wife and mother. The women’s request for meeting Ayanki was not granted.
The Customs found police insignia, laptop, digital camera, pen drives and memory cards at Shafi’s residence. Certain documents were seized from Ayanki’s house. The collection of evidence began from the premises of Azheekal steel plant, where the car Ayanki had used, was initially found.
The car was later shifted and was recovered from the thickets atop a hillock opposite the Pariyaram Medical College on June 27.
Ayanki reportedly told his interrogators that he had used the names of TP murder accused Shafi and Suni and their CPM links to boost the confidence of gold carriers. It was, however, not clear the assistance smugglers had received from TP murder accused.
Ayanki admitted that he was at the Karipur airport on June 21 morning to rob the smuggled gold. He further said a blue-coloured car, too, was with him, besides naming those who had accompanied him.
His statement also mentioned that they robbed one kilogram of gold from a carrier who had arrived at the Kannur airport. The loot was returned after the smugglers threatened the carrier. Ayanki said the carriers were offered up to Rs 5 lakh for smuggling in gold.
Customs launched a probe into the Karipur gold smuggling after a high-speed car chase involving rival gangs ended in a road accident, killing five, at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode district on June 21.
