Kerala police denies Governor's claims linking gold smuggling proceeds to banned groups

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police on Thursday rejected media reports quoting Governor Arif Mohammed Khan as saying that information on the police website indicated that proceeds from gold smuggling were being used to fund banned organisations.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Khan said that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had recently referred to gold smuggling activities in the state during a press conference, and according to the police website, the proceeds from the sale of the smuggled gold were being used to fund banned organisations.

"It has come as a news item in the electronic media yesterday, October 9, 2024, consequent to a briefing to the Press by the Hon'ble Governor, that there is a statement in the website of the Kerala Police that proceeds of the gold smuggled is utilised for funding banned organisations.

"It is clarified that the official website of the Kerala Police has never carried any such statement at any point of time. It has published only statistical details of seizure of gold and currency with period wise details," the state police media centre said in a statement.

The police issued the clarification amid growing tension between Raj Bhavan and the Left government over the rejection of the Governor's decision to summon the Chief Secretary and State Police Chief to brief him about Vijayan's reported statements regarding the smuggling of gold and the use of its proceeds for alleged anti-national activities.

The state government maintained that officials cannot be summoned by the Governor without informing the elected government.