Show-cause notice to 53 in Kerala gold smuggling case

Kochi, June 20

The Customs probing the Kerala gold smuggling case has issued show-cause notices to 53 people, including prime accused Swapna Suresh, suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar and two former diplomats in the UAE consulate, Thiruvananthapuram, official sources said on Sunday.

The notices asking why action under the Customs Act should not be taken against them in the smuggling cases were issued by Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Sumit Kumar on June 16.

The case against them involves smuggling of a total of 167 kg of gold 23 times, including the illegal trade of 30 kg gold worth Rs 15 crore that was seized by the Customs at Thiruvananthapuram airport from a diplomatic bag on July 5, 2020, the sources said.

Former UAE Consulate General Jamal al-Zabi and Attache Rashid Khamis Ali were issued notice through the Union Finance Ministry, sources said.

The Finance Ministry will forward the matter to the External Affairs Ministry as it is a matter involving foreign diplomats who have already left the country, they said. Besides Suresh, six others who were served notices are currently detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act. — PTI