Customs Department on Friday let off Karat Faizal, a Left Democratic Front (LDF)-backed independent councillor of Koduvally municipality in Kozhikode district, after interrogating him for nearly 36 hours in connection with its probe into the diplomatic gold smuggling case.
The investigating team pointed out that he was not given a clean chit and will be called again for questioning, if required. Mr. Faizal’s lawyer denied his client’s involvement in the case.
He was the first LDF leader to be picked up by the investigating agency in connection with the gold smuggling case. Mr. Faizal was taken into custody based on the statements of some of the accused, including K. T. Rameez.
He had hit the news in 2017 when Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CPI (M) State Secretary, travelled in his luxury car during the Jagratha Yatra at Koduvally. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence had named Mr. Faizal an accused in a case of smuggling 6 kg gold through the Calicut international airport in 2013. He had won the Parambathu ward of Koduvally municipality as an independent candidate with LDF backing in 2015.
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