Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the import of Quran boxes from the UAE using the diplomatic baggage route.
The minister was questioned Friday morning at the ED's Kochi office, Manorama News reported.
According to TV reports, the central agency is also probing if the minister had any links in the gold smuggling case which is being investigated by the ED, NIA and Customs.
The allegation against the minister is that he received legally untenable aid from the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The minister's actions were under the scanner after it was known that Thiruvananthapuram airport smuggling accused Swapna Suresh visited the minister at his office multiple times. The NIA has sought the visuals from the Secretariat office of the minister. The racket was busted by the Customs after officers seized a 30-kg gold consignment at the airport on July 5.
The investigation would see if religious books were parcelled from foreign countries to India at the behest of the minister and whether he violated the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.
Jaleel had earlier said welcoming the investigation that a thorough inquiry would only help clear the air.
The minister had said he would return all the books, except the one taken by the Customs, if the Centre's policy restricted the distribution of religious texts as a cultural exchange gesture.
