Dubai: Faizal Fareed, the third accused in the gold smuggling case was arrested from Dubai in United Arab Emirates on Sunday, Manorama Online reported. The Dubai Police took Fareed into custody on Thursday.

He is being questioned at the Al Rashidiya Police Station in Dubai.

Thrissur Kodungalloor native Faizal Fareed, 36, is expected to be handed over to India at the earliest. The NIA has charged Fareed with the following charges- forgery of documents, terror funding and smuggling.

The Indian Embassy has intimated the UAE government about blocking Faisal's passport. Fareed had initially objected to the allegations against him on media. However, he went into hiding when more evidence surfaced about his involvement in the case.

He owns a luxury gymnasium and automobile workshop in Dubai. His house in Thrissur was raided a few days ago.

The Indian government had initiated the process for issuing an Interpol Blue Corner notice against Faizal Fareed.

Fareed is said to have arranged for the gold that was smuggled through the diplomatic channel into Kerala. He would buy gold in Dubai and the UAE after Sandeep Nair, the fourth accused in the case, would send him money through the hawala route, investigators have said.

About 200 kg of gold was smuggled into the country in this manner since June 2019 till the racket was busted on July 5.

The diplomatic baggage with 30 kg of smuggled gold worth about Rs 15 crore that was seized at the Trivandrum airport was addressed to Rashed Khamis Al Shameli, the Charge d’Affaires of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

Swapna Suresh and P S Sarith Kumar, two former employees of the consulate, are the first and second accused in the smuggling case.