Kerala gold smuggling case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 1.84 crore
The ED has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 1.84 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a gold smuggling case in Kerala.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 1.84 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Kerala gold smuggling case.Â
In a statement, the ED said the attached immovable properties include a residential house, an apartment and a piece of land in Kozhikode. The attached moveable properties are in the form of fixed deposit held in Kozhikode branch of the Federal Bank.Â
According to reports, the ED initiated investigation in the gold smuggling case on the basis of an FIR and chargesheet filed by the CBI and the Anti Corruption Bureau, Cochin against C Madhavan, a former deputy commissioner of customs, PP Sunil Kumar, Faiz TK, Ashraf Kallunkal, Subair Y M and Abdul Rahim and others.
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The report added that the probe was carried out after two women identified as Arifa Haris and Asifa Veera were apprehended by customs authorities and 20 kgs of gold was allegedly recovered from them on March 19, 2013.
According to ED, the women had allegedly illegally carried 56 kgs of gold from Dubai to Cochin during August - September, 2013.
These gold consignments were allegedly sent by one Faiz TK using his contacts with customs officers allegedly for one Ashraf Kallunkal, who is a prominent businessman of Kerala, the ED claimed.
According to the CBI chargesheet, the smuggling of gold worth Rs 17.86 crore led to the loss of Rs 1.83 crore (10% customs duty and 3% cess) to the exchequer.
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The money trail investigation carried out by ED revealed that Faiz and Kallunkal were allegedly the "masterminds" of the gold smuggling, the ED claimed.
Faiz allegedly picked the women carriers staying in Dubai with their family, who were in need of money and executed the smuggling.
Accused Kallunkal was the "main investor" in the gold purchase and allegedly smuggled the consignment to India with the help of Faiz, who has a good relationship with many prominent people in Kerala, the ED claimed.
