Kerala gold smuggling case: ED files fresh chargesheet

A fresh chargesheet has been filed in the Kerala "gold smuggling through diplomatic bag" money laundering case and it focuses on the role of "kingpin" Ramees KT, the ED said in a statement on Monday.

Ramees was arrested in the case by the federal agency on April 5. He is currently in judicial custody and lodged in a Kerala jail.

The prosecution complaint, the third in the case, has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kerala, and 27 people have been named as accused, the agency said in a statement.

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Ramees has been confronted with more than 2,000 voice memos of Telegram chats between him and his associates involved in the gold smuggling case that took place through the Thiruvananthapuram international airport, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.

"Ramees KT had divulged the names of various investors who sponsored the gold smuggling including persons from Dubai and also names of some of the beneficiaries," it said.

The ED, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Customs department are conducting separate investigations into the racket that was busted with the seizure of gold worth about Rs 15 crore from the UAE Consulate's diplomatic baggage at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020.

Former employees of the UAE Consulate in Kerala Sarith PS and Swapna Suresh, apart from Sandeep Nair and IAS officer Sivasankar (former principal secretary to the Kerala chief minister), were arrested by the ED in the case earlier and two chargesheets have been field against them.

The total value of attachment of properties in the case, till date, is Rs 21.50 crore, the ED said.