Jeweller involved in smuggling identified

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major development, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officers have identified a jewellery shop owner who bought the smuggled gold, in the case pertaining to seizure of gold worth Rs 8.5 crore at Trivandrum International Airport. Hakeem, a native of Malappuram, owns a jewellery shop in his home town and has been working as manager of a jewellery shop here.
Hakeem has been absconding since the seizure, considered the biggest ever at the airport, from two passengers, Sunil Kumar and Sareena Shaji on Monday.
According to DRI officials, Hakeem used to buy the gold smuggled by Biju Manohar, who assigned Sunil and Sareena as carriers. DRI officers conducted raid at his office and home in Malappuram. “Manohar, an advocate, had visited Hakeem several times and the latter had bought gold from him. We have evidence that he is involved in gold smuggling. But, it is yet to be ascertained whether he sold any gold to the jewellery shops here,” said a DRI officer. Manohar, who has been absconding, sought anticipatory bail from court while his wife Vineetha Kumari has been taken into custody by DRI sleuths.
While Sareena was involved in recruiting women belonging to financially-poor families to smuggle in gold to the state for commission up to Rs 3 lakh per kilogram of gold, Sunil worked as an escort to the gang, the officer said.
“The carrier always has a backup team, who takes over the gold when something goes against thier plans at airport. Though we had checked the baggage of Sareena twice when she arrived at the airport, we could not find anything,” said the DRI officer.
DRI is also investigating how the gold is transported to other parts of the state. “Trivandrum airport, which is located near the city, is the most preferred one by the carriers. They travel in jumbo jet aircraft, as it is difficult to locate them from among some 350 passengers through profiling. They hardly take the risk to travel with such huge quantity of gold to north Kerala fearing extortion gangs there. Many shops and traders from north Kerala are opening their retail chains here in Thiruvananthapuram. We suspect that they are smuggling in gold to convert it into cash here,” the officer added.
The DRI team is also questioning the airport staff and agencies working at the airport.