Kerala gold smuggling case: Centre withdraws CAPF cover for custom officials

The CAPF protection provided to the customs officials, who are investigating the Kerala gold smuggling case, has been withdrawn by the Home Ministry. Meanwhile, the Chief Commissioner of the Customs Preventive Division has written to the Union Home Ministry seeking continued CAPF security cover.

Ernakulam: The Central government on Saturday withdrew the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) cover provided to the officers of Customs Department who are investigating the gold smuggling scam. The Union Home Ministry in a statement said that from now on Kerala Police will provide requisite security to the customs officials in Kochi.

However, the Chief Commissioner of the Customs Preventive Division has written to the Union Home Ministry to continue providing it with the CAPF security.

"The undersigned is directed to refer to this Ministry's U.O. of even number dated 20.10.2020 regarding extension of deployment of CRPF for personal security to officers and staff of Office of the Commissioner Customs (Preventive), Cochin up to 30.11.2020," the letter from the Home Ministry read."

It added, "The matter has been reviewed in this Ministry in the light of Joint Security Survey Report. CBIC may request state police to provide requisite security to Office of the Commissioner of Customs (Preventive), Cochin. Further, CBIC may explore obtaining CISF security on a cost-reimbursement basis. The issue with the approval of the Competent Authority."

The Centre had provided CAPF protection to the customs officers after inputs were received that the gold smuggling syndicate could attack the customs office and officers.

Meanwhile, the state BJP president K Surendran has accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of having been the biggest beneficiary in the infamous Kerala gold smuggling.

READ: Pinarayi Vijayan biggest beneficiary of gold smuggling: BJP

"Pinarayi Vijayan and his office was behind all the hawala and reverse hawala trade that has now surfaced. He not only helped this to happen but also turned out to be the biggest beneficiary in this trade," said Surendran.

The case surfaced on July 5 with the arrest here of P.R. Sarith -- former UAE Consulate staff, and then came the arrest of another former embassy staffer Swapna Suresh, who afterwards worked in the IT Department's Space Park and also closely associated with Viajyan's top aide.

For Vijayan, things went from bad to worse when the Enforcement Directorate arrested his secretary and senior IAS official M Sivasankar, who since October 29 has been in judicial custody.

Swapna Suresh has gone on record to state that Sivasankar was her mentor and managed to get her the IT space park job, when "she has not even passed Class 10 exam and that too at a mind-boggling salary".

With agency inputs

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