Kochi: A key accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case Wednesday moved a plea in the Special NIA court here. The accused expressed his willingness to turn approver. Moving the plea, fourth accused Sandeep Nair said he was ready to disclose the facts under Section 164 of the CrPC. Sandeep Nair was arrested by NIA from Bangalore along with prime accused Swapna Suresh,
Under Section 164 of the CrPC, any metropolitan or judicial magistrate may, whether or not he has jurisdiction in the case, record any confession or statement made to him in the course of an investigation.
Nair said he was very well aware that the statement he would give would be treated as evidence also against him.
Multiple agencies including NIA, Customs and Enforcement Directorate are probing the case of smuggling of gold. The gold seized is worth over Rs 100 crore. It was being smuggled through diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate at Thiruvananthapuram since November last year.
Swapna Suresh and Sarith were former employees of the UAE consulate. They allegedly used their past connection to smuggle gold using the diplomatic channel.
The Customs is also probing whether M Sivasankar had used his office to provide any help to the key accused. Sivasankar was removed as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and also IT Secretary. The move came after allegations surfaced that he had links with Swapna Suresh.
Also read: Kerala gold smuggling suspect Swapna Suresh breaks her silence: This is how she defends her actions
The NIA had registered the case under Sections 16, 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The case was registered July 10 against – Sarith, Swapna Suresh, Faizal Fareed and Sandeep.
Suresh and Nair were arrested July 11 from Bangalore after they absconded from their homes in Thiruvananthapuram.
NIA had said their probe revealed that Suresh had conspired and facilitated smuggling of gold through diplomatic baggage. She had done so on many occasions with other accused and associates. Swapna had disclosed about his associations with other accused and associates, the agency said. She was also questioned by NIA about the ‘incriminating contents’ of retrieved data from the digital devices seized by the agency.
NIA has said their investigation so far revealed that the accused had conspired and sourced gold in large quantities from abroad on multiple occasions. She had smuggled them through various airports, especially in Kerala.