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It is the
first time the premier agency, which handles national security, terror and
security-based cases, is investigating a gold smuggling case.
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Thiruvananthapuram(Agencies): The
National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday filed a First Information Report against
four accused in the case of gold smuggling via diplomatic channels. The FIRs
were filed under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
It is the first time the
premier agency, which handles national security, terror and security-based
cases, is investigating a gold smuggling case.
In the FIR, Sarith Kumar, who
is in the custody of the customs, is first accused; Swapna Suresh is second;
elusive UAE-based smuggling kingpin Fazil Pareed is third; and Suresh’s friend
Sandeep Nair is the fourth accused.
With NIA invoking the UAPA,
Suresh and Sandeep are likely to surrender in a couple of days and the agency
may start extradition proceedings to get Pareed.
The NIA said the accused were
part of a well-entrenched smuggling racket and the first accused and Suresh
were actively involved in arranging the diplomatic papers for the delivery of
the consignment.
It also said a good portion of
money generated through smuggling was used to fund some anti-national
activities.
The Ministry of External
Affairs has also made a request to the UAE embassy in Delhi for a meeting with
some employees at the consular office in Thiruvananthapuram to get more
details.
On Sunday, the Customs
Department had seized 30 kg of gold from an air cargo consignment from the
United Arab Emirates to the country’s consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
Suresh, who was working as the
operational manager of the Kerala State Information Technology Infrastructure
Limited under the state IT Ministry, had gone underground after the seizure.
Later, the CM had transferred his principal secretary M Sivasankar, who was
reported to be close to Suresh.
The Union Home Ministry had
handed over the probe to the NIA on Thursday.
The issue took on political
colour after the Opposition Congress and BJP claimed that chief minister
Pinarayi Vijayan knew about his principal secretary Sivasankar’s alleged link
with the second accused Suresh.
The Maharashtra -based varsity,
Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University, from where Suresh reportedly
obtained her BCom degree made it clear that the varsity did not have such a
course. Later, the controller of the examination Dr Vivek S Sathe sent a mail
to a news channel saying it was a fake certificate. She was given a job at Air
India-SATS and the Kerala IT department based on this degree. Two days back,
her estranged brother also claimed she did not even clear her class 10
examination.
Meanwhile protests by
opposition parties seeking the resignation of the chief minister Pinarayi
turned violent at several places in the state.
In Kozhikode, many people were
injured after police resorted to baton charge on agitating Youth League
workers. In Kochi too, Yuva Morcha protests turned violent. In Kannur, police
lobbed teargas shells to control Youth Congress workers who held a rally
outside Vijayan’s ancestral house.
“It is a big racket. Reports have emerged that
they smuggled many such consignments. The CM can’t keep silent saying he was
not aware of the appointment of Swapna Suresh. He has to take moral
responsibility and resign,” said state opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
State health minister KK
Shaialaja said at several places protesters ignored social distancing and they
were not wearing masks also.
“We are in the midst of the worst pandemic.
Hope protesters realise this,” she said.
Sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths
in Assam; 18 fatalities reported in last 4 days
On Friday itself, 5 deaths
were reported from Guwahati. Four of the deaths took place at Guwahati Medical
College Hospital (GMCH) while one person died at the Covid care centre opened
at Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G).
Guwahati(Agencies):Assam
is witnessing a spike in the number of Covid-related deaths after reporting a
sharp rise in the Covid-19 cases in the past fortnight.
From the first death on April
10 till July 7, the state had recorded 14 Covid-related deaths. But in the past
four days, 18 deaths have taken place, taking the total tally of fatalities to
32.
On Friday itself, 5 deaths
were reported from Guwahati. Four of the deaths took place at Guwahati Medical
College Hospital (GMCH) while one person died at the Covid care centre opened
at Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati (IIT-G).
Through a series of tweets,
state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma informed that the 53-year-old patient
who expired at IIT-G was asymptomatic and had no co-morbidities. Death was due
to a sudden drop in oxygen level.
“As of Thursday, 28 of the total 30 patients
admitted in intensive care unit (ICU) beds at GMCH were in critical condition.
We expect more such cases to arrive,” Sarma had told journalists on Thursday.
A health official said on
condition of anonymity that the rise in the number of deaths could be
attributed to an increase in Covid-19 cases across the state and more
specifically in Guwahati and rest of Kamrup Metro district.
Till Friday afternoon, a total
of 14,600 Covid-19 positive cases had been recorded in the state. Since June
24, Guwahati and rest of Kamrup Metro district alone have added 5,257 cases to
that tally.
The Kamrup Metro district has
been under 14 day total lockdown since June 28 in an attempt to control the
rapid rise in cases.
Over a dozen districts have
imposed restrictions on to and fro movement to Kamrup Metro to restrict
community spread of the disease in their areas. Two other districts, Dima Hasao
and Jorhat, have also imposed total lockdown.
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