A much hyped operation or well-orchestrated smuggling from smugglers? A look at allegations against Kerala top cop

Thiruvananthapuram: It was during 2022-23, a special police team under the then district police chief (DPC) of Malappuram district in north Kerala foiled over hundred attempts to smuggle gold through the Kozhikode international airport by evading customs checks.

The police team, especially the then DPC Sujith Das, was hailed for the operation, which even led to the arrest of customs officials who colluded with the smuggling gangs and seizure of over 80 kilogram gold in a span of one year.

Fast forward to 2024, Das, who was then hailed for his work, has now come under scanner following allegation by an MLA of the ruling front that the crackdown on the gold smugglers was indeed a well-planned operation hatched by Das by colluding with a section of customs officials to siphon off smuggled gold from carriers.

CPI(M)-backed independent MLA P V Anvar alleged that a large chunk of the smuggled gold were siphoned off by the gang led by the SP and only the remaining portion were recorded officially as seizure.

Das then initiated the special drive against gold smugglers after incidents of criminal gangs trying to snatch gold from carriers led to serious law and order problems like kidnapping and road rashes claiming many lives.

He has now also landed in trouble in connection with allegations of illegally felling trees from the Malappuram district police chief's camp office. He allegedly rang up Anvar MLA and pleaded him not to put him in trouble by raking up the issue and extended full cooperation with him throughout his service.

Subsequently, Anvar, who himself faced several allegations earlier, came out with a series of allegations targeting Das along with ADGP (law and order) M R Ajith Kumar. It included allegations that the gold hunt drive by Das was a well-planned move to siphon off gold from smugglers. He also released the purported phone conversations of Das with him. Anvar on Wednesday alleged that Das was in the process of destroying evidence.

A senior police officer, who spoke to DH on the condition of anonymity, said that even as Das seemed to have erred in felling trees, the allegations over gold smuggling were quite hard to believe. The crackdown on gold smuggling by Das had indeed earned much goodwill for the police force last year, he pointed out while stressing the need for a fair probe.