Kozhikode: The car believed to be used by airport gold smuggling suspect Arjun Ayanki was found hidden behind bushes on a hillock opposite the Pariyaram Medical College hospital in Kerala's Kannur district.
The recent accident at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode, in which five people lost their lives during a chase between two gangs, brought to light the gold smuggling angle on it.
The probe team has issued a notice to Arjun, directing him to appear for questioning at the Customs Preventive Commissionerate in Kochi on June 28.
Police had been on the lookout for the car which was suspected to be used by Ayanki in the gold smuggling at Karippur airport in Kozhikode district.
The Kannur police on Sunday evening identified the car using its engine number as the number plates had been removed.
Arjun was using the car of C Sajesh, who is the DYFI Chembilode zonal secretary and Ancharakandy block committee member. The phone number in the RC book is that of Arjun.
After news broke of the red Maruti Swift car being involved in smuggling, Sajesh was promptly expelled from the party.
The CPM is in a spot after the names of several of its lower-level cadres came in the forefront in the gold smuggling case, and that too in Kannur - the home district of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Audio messages, that point at Arjun Ayanki’s links with the gold smuggling gangs, have also surfaced.
Kannur district secretary M V Jayarajan had on Thursday called a press conference and openly distanced from those involved in the gold smuggling case. Party's state acting secretary, A Vijayaraghavan also said that the CPM will not support any anti-social activities and will not allow any of the party cadres to be involved in such dealings.
