Kochi: Recent gold smuggling cases unearthed in Kerala pointed to the political patronage enjoyed by the rackets involved within Kerala and abroad.
Arjun Ayanki, who was arrested last week in connection with the loot of smuggled gold, has told Customs officials that he had destroyed the mobile phone used for illegal activities based on instructions from his ‘Leader.’ Earlier, Arjun had claimed that the phone was lost in the Valapattanam River while he was evading reporters.
However, after he was taken to the spot on the banks of the river where the phone supposedly fell, Arjun began revealing details about the ‘Leader’. Subsequently, the Customs has launched efforts to collect more information about this person. It is likely Arjun has revealed the identity of this leader.
Incidentally, K T Rameez, the main accused in the diplomatic gold smuggling case which was busted lasted year, also had destroyed his mobile by setting it on fire before being arrested.
“Arjun is cooperating with the probe after being taken to Kannur for evidence collection. He is providing more details about his operations after we summoned his wife and T P Chandrasekharan murder case convicts Shafi and Kodi Suni for questioning,” said a Customs officer.
Challenge for investigators
Meanwhile, it is pointed out that the authorities would find it hard to collect records on Arjun’s conversations on WhatsApp and other means as his phone has been destroyed as claimed by him. Arjun had contacted his protectors entirely on WhatsApp and Telegram after the Ramanattukara accident that eventually exposed the smuggling operations. Moreover, scientific evidence to nail all the accused could be obtained only if the leader’s mobile is also seized.
At the same time, Customs has recovered all the conversations between Arjun and Muhammed Shafeek, the carrier of gold nabbed by the Customs at Karipur airport. However, some other phones related to the incident are now inactive and could have been destroyed, said officials.
While the authorities managed to find the remains of Rameez’s mobile, they are yet to stumble on clues regarding Arjun’s phone.
Ayanki's wife questioned
In a related development, the Customs on Monday questioned Ayanki's wife. She turned up at the Customs' Kochi office as per a summons issued by the agency. She was questioned about the evidence collected by the Customs sleuths during a raid at Ayanki's house in Kannur.The Customs had registered the case after an SUV crashed into a cement-laden lorry early on June 21, killing five passengers. The police probe into the accident unearthed the smuggling angle.
Ayanki was arrested after he presented himself before the Customs for questioning on June 28.
