Gold smuggling: Probe officers take a look at Covid optimistic, second wave places break on investigation

Express News Service
KOCHI: Last yr, apart from the novel coronavirus outbreak, the gold smuggling case involving diplomatic baggage addressed to UAE diplomats in Thiruvananthapuram was essentially the most sensational growth in Kerala that put the state authorities on the backfoot.

However, the businesses probing varied features of the case —  the customs, National Investigation Agency and the Enforcement Directorate — have misplaced steam in latest weeks as lots of their officers have examined optimistic within the second wave of Covid. The customs, which busted the smuggling, is the worst hit as a majority of senior officers and individuals concerned within the investigation are affected by the second wave. 

The central company was set to concern show-cause notices to the accused individuals when the Covid state of affairs worsened. “Ours is not a large force like the police. We have completed the procedure related to issuing show-cause notices to the accused persons and the decision was taken to sent notices this month itself. However, all our senior officers have either contracted Covid-19 or are in quarantine after being in contact with persons infected with the virus. Even the chief commissioner contracted the disease. We expect our personnel to be back by next month when the second wave recedes,” a customs officer stated.

Around seven customs officers have been quarantined this month after interrogating Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan as a part of the probe into the greenback smuggling incident, which is expounded to the gold smuggling case. The day after the interrogation on April 9, the Speaker examined Covid optimistic. The customs was additionally set to query Vinodhini Balakrishnan, spouse of CPM chief Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, however determined to postpone it contemplating the present state of affairs. 

Similar is the case with NIA and ED as a number of officers are down with the viral illness.“A majority of our personnel in Kochi have contracted Covid. As our officers have to travel interstate as part of the investigation, the risk factor is higher,” an NIA officer stated. 

“A major portion of the probe into the gold smuggling case is over. Now the probe regarding people abroad is progressing and attempts were being made to bring them back to India. Those efforts have been hit by the second wave,” the officer stated.

An officer with ED recalled that its total unit was beneath quarantine final yr after a number of officers examined optimistic. “Now more officers have contracted Covid-19. This is a testing time for an investigation agency like ours as a probe has to be completed within a specific period,” the officer stated.