Kerala Gold Scam: NIA Claims 'Mastermind' Faisal Fareed Smuggled 230 KG Of Gold From Dubai

NIA officials said that the mastermind smuggled 230kg of gold through diplomatic baggage from Dubai. The agency also hinted that the Kerala Gold Scam can be a part of a larger conspiracy.

Kerala Gold Scam: In the latest development in the Kerala Gold smuggling case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has claimed Faisal Fareed, who is one of the masterminds has smuggled 230 kg of gold from Dubai through the diplomatic channel for more than 20 times. ALSO READ|What Is Kerala Gold Smuggling Scam? Know All About The Scandal, Prime Accused Swapna Suresh And More Faisal Fareed, the prime accused in smuggling of gold using diplomatic baggage sent from UAE to its consulate official in Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested by the Dubai Police last week. After three rounds of investigation, Faisal revealed that he has smuggled 230 kg of gold into Kerala. Faisal, who has a business in the UAE is residing with his family at Al Rashidiya in Dubai, was picked up from his residence on Friday. He is expected to be handed over to India at the earliest. Is Kerala Gold Scam a part of a bigger conspiracy? Speculations are also being made that the Kerala gold smuggling case may have been part of a systematic conspiracy to destabilise India's economy. Two parallel investigations in the case are currently underway. While the Customs Department is investigating the violation of the Customs Act, the National Investigation Agency is looking at the possibility of larger conspiracy - the purpose of the gold smugglers, whether it was for personal benefits or to “destabilise India”. On Saturday, the NIA had request Interpol to issue a blue corner notice against Faisal. The probe agency has charged Fareed with the following - forgery of documents, terror funding, and smuggling. The Indian Embassy has already intimated the UAE government about blocking Faisal's passport. ALSO READ|Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Cancels License of Pothys, Ramachandran Mall Over Violating COVID-19 Protocols The NIA has arrested four persons while the Customs has nabbed 13 people so far in connection with the gold smuggling case after the seizure of 30 kg of the yellow metal from the Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5. Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the case, has told NIA that the entire smuggling racket was being carried out at the behest of Sandeep Nair, another accused in NIA custody. The matter had come to light after 30 Kg of gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by customs 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. While Swapna Suresh and Sarith, the accused from whom the gold was initially seized at the airport, were associated with the UAE consulate, Sandeep Nair is a businessman based in Kerala. Opposition Blames CM Pinarayi Vijayan As 'Resign Kerala CM ' trends on Twitter, what makes the case more controversial is claims by the opposition which states that the accused Swapna has close ties with people from Kerala Chief Minister's office. The matter escalated to a heated level on 14th July when a senior IAS official and CM's principal secretary M Sivasankar was found to have a close network with Swapna Suresh. On acknowledging this, CM soon removed Sivasankar from the post. Besides, Sivasankar has now been arrested and undergoing interrogations. However, the case had already grown bigger. Citing these incidents, the opposition in the state asked the CM to resign from the post.