Thiruvananthapuram: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconding accused in the controversial 2020 case of gold smuggling through diplomatic baggage on his arrival at the Thiruvananthapuram airport from Dubai.
Ratheesh, a resident of Kannur, was a fugitive member of the gang involved in smuggling of huge quantities of gold from various countries into India through diplomatic channels between 2019 and 2020, the agency said.
He was taken into custody on arrival from Dubai in the UAE on Tuesday, the NIA spokesperson said.
The incident related to the case took place on July 5, 2020.
Swapna Suresh, Sarith Nair, Fazil Fareed and Sandeep Nair were the four accused who were nabbed by NIA on July 10, 2020. Following this, the agency nabbed K T Rameesh who is alleged as the kingpin of the gold smuggling racket.
The NIA had launched a manhunt for six of the absconding gang members, including Ratheesh, and had filed charge sheets against 20 accused on January 5, 2021.
The NIA's investigation had revealed that Ratheesh, an associate of charge-sheeted accused Hamsath Abdu Salam, had collected the smuggled gold from Thiruvananthapuram and transported it for sale to one Nandakumar of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
A consignment of gold, weighing 30 kg and worth Rs 14.82 crore, was seized on July 5, 2020, at the Thiruvananthapuram airport from a piece of baggage addressed to a senior diplomat stationed in the Kerala state capital.
Investigation into the case is underway, the agency said.
(with PTI inputs)
