Thiruvananthapuram: The NIA today filed a chargesheet before a Special NIA Court against the twenty accused, including Swapna Prabha Suresh in the Kerala gold smuggling case. The accused have been booked under sections 16, 17, 18 and 20 of UA (P) Act.
The NIA registered a case against Sarith P. S., Swapna Prabha Suresh, Faisal Fareed, Sandeep Nair and others on 10th July, 2020 under sections 16, 17 and 18 of UA (P) Act consequent to the seizure of around 30 Kg of gold worth ₹ 14.82 crores on 5th July 2020 at Trivandrum International Airport. The gold was seized by the Customs authorities from the import cargo addressed to the Charge D’ Affaires at the Consulate General of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Thiruvananthapuram.
Accused Swapna Prabha Suresh and Sandeep Nair, who were absconding, were arrested by NIA from Bengaluru on 11th July 2020. During the ensuing investigation, thirty-one more persons, who had conspired and financed gold smuggling were arraigned as accused in the case.
The accused planned to transfer the proceeds of the contraband to the UAE through hawala channels, for purchasing and smuggling more gold.
Also read: Gold smuggling case: Sivasankar travelled to UAE 7 times with Swapna Suresh
Till now, twenty-one accused persons have been arrested in the case by NIA, while eight accused persons are absconding.
The NIA investigation revealed that the main accused in this case had also planned to smuggle more gold from countries like Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
The NIA is continuing to investigate the absconding accused persons and others who had facilitated this crime.
