Karipur gold smuggling cases: Customs notices expose troubling gaps in police procedures

Kozhikode: The show-cause notices issued by Customs authorities to three police officers, including an ACP, over gold seizure cases at Karipur International Airport have brought renewed scrutiny of how the police have handled smuggling-related cases over the past several years.

The notices, served on former Station House Officers of Karipur police station, point to a pattern in which police allegedly handled gold seizures independently, without promptly involving Customs authorities, despite the cases involving suspected smuggling through the airport. It is the first time that Customs authorities issued a showcause notice to police officials for not associating with them while dealing with a gold smuggling case.

The development has put the Kerala Police on the defensive at a time when allegations of links between some police personnel and gold smuggling networks operating through Karipur continue to surface periodically. The officers who received notices are P Shibu, currently Assistant Commissioner of Police (Narcotic Cell), Thrissur; S. Rajeesh, now Inspector at Mathilakam police station; and T S Binu, who is presently on long leave from service.

According to Customs, the notices relate to multiple gold seizure cases registered at Karipur airport between 2022 and 2024. The central allegation is that police officers proceeded with the handling, extraction, and valuation of seized gold without adequately consulting Customs authorities, who are the primary agency responsible for investigating smuggling offences.

One of the cases cited involves the seizure of gold from a passenger arriving from Riyadh in April 2023. Customs questioned why the recovered gold was processed by the police and not immediately handed over for Customs action. During the inquiry conducted by Customs authorities, ACP Shibu stated that Customs officials had been informed and assistance sought, but admitted that no documentary proof was available to establish that such communication had taken place.

The officer also maintained that the police had acted within their jurisdiction and that airport-related law-and-order matters fell under the local police station. He further stated that during his tenure at Karipur, police had detected around 130 gold smuggling cases and had routinely attempted to contact Customs authorities.

Customs, however, has taken the position that the police officer failed to follow the prescribed procedure in dealing with suspected smuggled gold and should have formally associated Customs at the earliest stage of the investigation.

The notice issued to T S Binu relates to four separate gold seizure cases. In one such case involving a passenger arriving from Abu Dhabi, Customs alleged that the police team led by him handled the recovered gold independently, despite prior information indicating a smuggling offence. The notice also added that the officer did not appear before investigators despite repeated summonses.

Similarly, the notice issued to S Rajeesh refers to a case in June 2024 in which nearly one kilogram of gold was recovered from an arriving passenger. Customs alleged that the seized gold was processed and handled before the department was brought into the picture.

The notices have also drawn attention to the role of private gold assayers engaged in such cases. During the inquiry, a gold assayer reportedly told investigators that, due to a heavy workload, he had, on some occasions, issued signed blank assay certificates, raising further questions about the procedures followed in certain gold seizure cases.

While the notices do not establish wrongdoing, they have intensified concerns over how gold smuggling cases were handled at Karipur and are likely to reignite debate over the relationship between law-enforcement agencies and smuggling networks operating through the airport.

The Customs proceedings are expected to be closely watched, as they may have wider implications for the investigation of gold smuggling cases detected at Karipur over the past several years