Customs to issue lookout notice against woman involved in Kerala gold smuggling case

Customs department is planning to issue lookout notice against woman involved in the gold smuggling case. The gold, weighing over 30 kg, was seized from diplomatic baggage that had landed by air cargo at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport recently.

Kochi:Intensifying its probe into the sensational gold smuggling case using diplomatic channels, the Customs on Tuesday said it was planning to issue a lookout notice for a woman, a former employee of a foreign country's consulate in Kerala, who is on the run.

Highly placed sources in the Customs said the lookout notice has to be issued for the woman, who is allegedly involved in the gold smuggling, to ensure that she would not flee the country.

The central agency's move came a day after it arrested a man, who claimed himself to be a former employee of a foreign country's consulate in Kerala, in connection with the seizure of gold worth over Rs 15 crore from a "diplomatic baggage" at Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Sunday.

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"We are on the job. We have some idea (about her movements). Why is she running? She is on the run, which is actually very stupid which will land her in more trouble. Ultimately we will get her. We will issue a lookout notice to ensure that she can't run away from the country," a top Customs official said.

He also said the Customs has invited three or four people who have "some knowledge of the incident" to join the investigation. The official, however, refused to divulge more details.

The gold, weighing over 30 kg, was seized from diplomatic baggage that had landed by air cargo at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport recently. The Customs department has said it suspected a smuggling syndicate had misused the name of a person who enjoys diplomatic immunity.

(PTI report)