Thiruvananthapuram/ New Delhi: The Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence have seized 2,746.49 kg of gold from airports in Kerala in six years, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary has informed the Lok Sabha. During the same period, Kerala police seized 112.62 kg of gold of international origin and handed it over to Customs, the Minister said.

The Minister told the parliament that there was no specific incident with verifiable facts that came to the notice of Customs when asked if the Government had taken note of the grave allegations raised by a Kerala MLA about police illegally snatching gold of international origin.

The Minister added that the Union Government has been informed that the Government of Kerala has ordered a vigilance inquiry by the State Vigilance & Anti-corruption Bureau into the allegation of misappropriation of seized gold by certain officers, raised by P V Anvar, MLA, Nilambur.

The seizure of smuggled gold from Kerala airports by the police kicked up a row following allegations raised by Anvar regarding misappropriation of smuggled gold by the police. In October, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan responded to Governor's letter saying that there was laxity on the part of the Customs Department in checking gold smuggling in airports.

"It should be appreciated that the arrival of gold escaping scrutiny at the airport is due to laxity on the part of the Customs Department and not of the State Government. The responsibility for the arrival of duty-evaded gold does not lie with the State Government. Despite this, we have been keeping up the utmost vigil in this matter. Kindly consider raising the matter of duty evaded gold coming through airports with the Union Ministry concerned and help our humble efforts, for which we shall be grateful," said Pinarayi Vijayan in the letter.

Pinarayi added that the primary duty to prevent gold smuggling was with the Customs Department, which functions under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India and that since smuggling creates associated law and order problems and tax leakage, state police have been keeping a vigil in the matter and have acted in cases where they could get reliable information.