Kochi: It's been two days since the Customs Department demanded CCTV footage to help it with its investigations into the gold smuggling case, but the police is yet to provide it with the video recordings.
The Customs wants the footage to get details about the UAE consulate car that one of the accused in the case, Sarith, used to go to the cargo complex and also the route he took to reach there.
The Customs had written to the police on Tuesday morning seeking footage of the routes Sarith took to reach the cargo complex and return from there in the past three months. The police have neither provided the footage nor replied to the letter.
However, State police chief DGP Loknath Behera on Thursday denied the allegations.
The Customs had not requested CCTV footages from the workplaces of those accused in the gold smuggling case, he said in a statement.
The Customs suspects that while returning from the cargo complex, Sarith may have transferred the smuggled gold from the consulate’s official car to a private car on the way.
The private car used for the smuggling could be a key evidence in the case, say Customs officials. The CCTV footage is necessary to find out who drove the car and also to get to the other culprits in the case, they said.
The case has taken serious proportions as the three main investigating agencies in the country - CBI, NIA, ED - are carrying out simultaneous inquiries into various aspects, including financial transactions, international involvement, and national safety.
Meanwhile, the Customs department has launched a massive hunt to trace Swapna Suresh with the help of the Intelligence Bureau.
IPS Connections
In an unlikely turn of events, the Kerala Police has been left out of the loop as the accused is said to have close contacts within the department.
The Kerala Police is yet to undertake any investigation in the case. The Customs Department has also found out that Swapna knew two IPS officers who are in service and one retired IPS officer.
