THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:, Twelve persons including two top officials in Secretariat and two ministers’ personal staff are learnt to have interfered in the gold smuggling case inorder to save the master brain Swapna Suresh, according to information received by the Customs.
These persons are known to have put pressure on Customs to release the diplomatic baggage comprising around 30 kg gold and addressed to UAE Consulate.With this, the very nerve centre of governance has come under the cloud of suspicion for their possible role in conspiracy and illegal dealings.
The Customs officers who handled the case have submitted to Customs Commissioner Sumit Kumar the call details and recording persons who had contacted them to make recommendation for Swapna. All of them will be summoned.
However, the Customs reiterated that there were no calls from the chief minister’s office.
“But there was a call from a land line to Thiruvananthapuram Superintendent’s office in the name of chief minister’s adviser. When we checked the number, it belonged to the vacant house of a doctor,” Customs said.
While the Customs couldn’t clarify whether the chief minister’s former principal secretary M Sivashankar had called, they make clear that two officers in Secretariat including one under-secretary had called them. One of them is in the chief minister’s department.
Three agents including Thiruvananthapuram’s main Customs Clearance Agent had pushed the Customs to release the baggage.
A State leader holding top position in New Delhi is also known to have called the Customs.
Meanwhile, the police are also on the lookout for UAE consulate insider Attashe Rasheed Khamis Al Mushakari to whom the consignment was addressed.
