Kochi: Advocate Biju Mohanan, the absconding suspect in the gold smuggling case, has surrendered to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) office at Palarivattom, Kochi.
He reported to the DRI taking cognisance of the directive issued by the High Court to surrender by 10 am on Friday. The DRI had received evidence that Adv Biju was the ringleader of the gold smuggling carried out through Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. His gang is reportedly active in Thiruvananthapuram.
Meanwhile, the DRI has begun search for the PPM Chains owner Mohammed Ali for his involvement in the gold smuggling via the airport. The involvement of its manager Abdul Hakkim in the crime was found earlier.
The smuggling came to light after officials seized 25 kg gold at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport earlier this month and arrested a customs officer in connection with it. In the probe that followed, the DRI was able to collect crucial evidence on the gang that was working out from Thiruvananthapuram.
Advocate Biju Mohanan, Vishnu and Malappuram native Abdul Hakeem are the ringleaders. They identified women who are from well-off families and offered huge promises to make them carriers.
Women were used as carriers to smuggle gold via airports in a huge racket involving more than 20 people, a revenue intelligence report has revealed. At least 400 kg gold was smuggled in a year-and-a-half, it is said.
Apart from advocate Biju's wife Vineetha and Sereena Shaji, who was caught with the gold, the gang used six other women as carriers. The other six women travelled from Dubai to Thiruvananthapuram four times in six months, it was found.
The woman carrier would be sent along with a man on the pretext of being his wife and would manage to bypass the inspection. Advocate Biju managed to smuggle gold seven times.
It has been revealed that he threatened to divorce his wife if she failed to become an accomplice to his smuggling business.
Thiruvananthapuram native Akash Shaji buys the gold from Dubai and that would be then taken to the Kerala capital and sold to Abdul Hakeem, it was learnt.
As it has been proved that the gang was able to smuggle gold several times, the DRI suspect the involvement of more officers in the racket.
