Kochi: The Customs has apprised the Economic Offences that Arjun Ayanki carried out gold smuggling and robberies under the protection of T P Chandrashekharan murder case convicts Sunil Kumar, alias Kodi Suni, and Mohammad Shafi.
The report filed by Customs in the court is based on the statements given by accused Mohammad Shafiq who is currently in remand and other available evidence.
Ayanki is an accused in the recent Karipur gold smuggling case that was unearthed followed an accident at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode district last month. 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.
The Customs report states that three gangs had reached the International airport at Karipur to rob 2.33 kg gold worth Rs 1.11 crore smuggled in by Shafiq in the wee hours of June 21. The Koduvally group had trained Shafiq to be a carrier. Later he shifted his allegiance to Arjun Ayanki gang.
However, in his statement Shafiq said that on the day of his arrest, he had reached an understanding to pass on the smuggled gold to another gang.
It has been also found that conduits of gangs operating out of Koduvally, Kozhikode and Kannur are actively functioning in Dubai.
Each gang has moles of rivals within their groups. Kodi Suni and Shafi take up the contract (quotation in local parlance) for providing protection to smugglers and carriers. Arjun had assured that if Shafiq came under threat from Koduvally gang, he would be provided protection by Kodi Suni and Shafiq.
(T P Chandrashekharan, a CPM renegade, was brutally murdered in 2012 soon after he established his own political outfit named the Revolutionary Marxist Party.)
Shafiq claims death threat in jail
Mohammad Shafiq has told Economic Offences court that he had faced death threat from the Cherupalassery gang while in the Manjeri sub-jail. He urged the court not to send him to that jail since he feared that the goondas would murder him.
While asking him to give this complaint in writing, the court remanded Shafiq in custody at the Kakkanad sub jail.
Ayanki's wife grilled
The Customs grilled Arjun Ayanki's wife for six and half hours on Monday. She appeared before customs officials for questioning at 10.30 am.
While disclosing his source of income, he had earlier given a statment saying that his mother-in-law had given him the money. His wife was questioned based on this particular statement.
According to available inputs, Arjun's wife does not have clear information about her husband's wayward and illegal deals. However, the investigation officials have received decisive statement about his closeness with the convicts of the T P Chandrashekharan murder case.
Mohammad Shafi, one of the convicts in T P case has been given notice to appear before the customs on Tuesday.
One Yousuf who has also been given notice to appear before customs on Tuesday has been found to be having frequent telephonic conversations with Arjun Ayanki. Yousuf used to speak to Arjun from a phone register in his wife's name.
The Customs has found that Yousuf was part of one of the gangs that had arrived at the Karipu airport on June 21 morning.
