Kochi: Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the two arrested in the gold smuggling case, were remanded in custody for three days by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court after the agency wasted no time in bringing them to Kochi following their arrests in Bengaluru.
The NIA told the special court on Sunday that the accused should be kept in the safety of judicial custody as the agency suspects the involvement of some top-level high-profile people enjoying great influence in society in the case.
It also pointed out the need to safeguard evidence in the case, which is of a very serious nature as it concerns nation security.
NIA special judge P Krishnakumar had remanded Swapna and Sandeep in custody for three days pending the test results.
The NIA is relieved that Swapna and Sandeep have tested negative for COVID as the special court is scheduled to consider the agency’s demand for their custody on Monday. The NIA has demanded their custody for 10 days beginning Monday.
Their samples were collected on Sunday morning at the district hospital in Aluva. They have been lodged in COVID care centres after testing negative.
While Swapna is at the Ambilikkala observation centre in Thrissur, Sandeep was taken to Carmel retreat Centre at Karukutty in Angamaly.
Since Sandeep and Swapna did not use the services of a lawyer, a court-appointed lawyer appeared for them.
The NIA arrested Swapna and Sandeep on Saturday evening from a serviced apartment in Bengaluru. They were brought to Kochi on Sunday and taken to the NIA office in the afternoon.
Swapna, a former employee of Space Park under the Kerala IT department and also of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, and Sandeep are among four people booked by the central agency in the case that was detected on July 5 when Customs officials at the city airport found 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.8 crore in a diplomatic baggage. The consignment was addressed to an official of the UAE Consulate.
Other arrests
Meanwhile, the arrest of K T Ramees, a gold smuggler and a resident of Vettattur Kappu in Perinthalmanna, was recorded on Monday morning.
While the NIA was bringing Swapna and Sandeep by road to Kochi from the Karnataka capital, the Customs Department arrested Ramees on Sunday in connection with the case.
Sources said Ramees shared a close relationship with Sandeep. Sarith Kumar, the first accused in the gold smuggling case, had told investigators that Ramees was familiar with ways to exchange smuggled gold. The Customs Department has taken two others also into custody, besides Ramees.
The Customs and NIA officials questioned them at a secret location in a joint interrogation that continued till late into the night.
NIA to trace terror links
The NIA suspects that the smuggling operations were being carried out by the racket to fund terror organisations. The connection of the two to such activities needs to be examined, the NIA has said in its application for their custody.
The NIA raided the Thiruvallam residence of Sarith Kumar in Thiruvananthapuram, while the Customs officials raided the house of Ramees. After this, NIA officials went to Customs’ office and questioned Ramees and Sarith again.
Sarith, a former PRO at the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, is the first accused in the case. He too is under arrest.
NIA to record Sivasankar’s statement
An NIA team will record the statements of former principal secretary to the chief minister and former IT secretary M Sivasankar in connection with the gold smuggling case.
The Customs will continue its inspection of places connected to Sivasankar.
The NIA team currently stationed in Thiruvananthapuram may also examine Sivasankar’s office at the secretariat.
Sivasankar is unlikely to go unscathed in the smuggling case.
The Customs, which conducted raids at his flat for two days, is said to have seized documents that could bring him also under the purview of the investigation into the gold smuggling case.
The Customs has told the NIA that its investigations indicated that Swapna, Sarith and Sandeep would get together often at Sivasankar's flat and that such meetings would happen at Swapna's flat, too. It is based on this information that the NIA is investigating Sivasankar to see if he had any role in the gold smuggling case.
The state government will find itself in a spot if the NIA questions Sivasankar and conducts raids at the secretariat.
On Sunday, the agency collected CCTV footage from 10 places in the city, including Sivasankar’s neighbourhood.
Kin summoned
The NIA brought Swapna’s family also along with her and Sandeep on Sunday. Swapna’s husband and two children reached Kerala in a car that was behind the vehicle in which the NIA was bringing Swapna and Sandeep.
The car carrying them reached the Walayar checkpost 15 minutes after the vehicle with the two accused in the gold smuggling case entered the Kerala border. The police, which was providing an escort to the NIA team from Walayar, helped the family join the convoy.
Sources said the statements of Swapna’s husband and her children will be recorded. The family had been summoned to the NIA office in Kadavanthara in Kochi before the agency produced Swapna in court on Sunday.
They were later shifted to a safe location.
