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Kerala smuggling case: Gunman at UAE consulate tries to kill himself; safe
The police said that the condition of the policeman, who was found lying near his ancestral home with his wrist slit, was now stable and he was recuperating at a private hospital.
A gunman of Kerala Police posted at the United Arab Emirate consulate allegedly tried to end his life at nearby Thumba on Friday, a day after he was reported missing by his family.
The police said that the condition of the policeman, who was found lying near his ancestral home with his wrist slit, was now stable and he was recuperating at a private hospital.
The policeman had gone missing from his home on Thursday night, and a police complaint had been filed by his family, police said.
“We found him lying in a pool of blood. He was conscious and muttered he didn’t do anything wrong,” a neighbour who did not wish to be named, said. The policeman’s last call was traced to somewhere near his house, which led the police to search for him in the vicinity, where they found him in a vacant plot.
The policeman went missing from his home a day after gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh’s call records were leaked to the press.
Suresh, who is currently in judicial custody, had reportedly made calls to the policeman at least three times on July 5, the same day that 30 kilograms of 24-carat gold was seized by the Customs department from a baggage addressed to the UAE consulate.
The gold worth around Rs 15 crore was received at the airport here as a diplomatic cargo addressed to a consulate official, who has since left the country. Rashed Khamis Ali Musaiqri Alshemeli, the consulate attache, left the country mid-week, amid reports that he had been called back.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) which is in charge of the probe has filed a First Information Report against five persons, including UAE-based Fazil Fareed, whom they suspect forged the country’s seal and emblem to ensure diplomatic protection for the baggage.
Four of the accused, including Suresh, have been arrested, under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act which is usually invoked to deal with terrorists and those who pose a threat to the integrity of the nation. The agency suspects that money from the smuggled gold was being used to fund terror operations.
The policeman, who attempted suicide, was earlier posted in the airport and has been with the UAE consulate since 2017.
Police suspect he feared being questioned or made an accused in the audacious gold smuggling case.
The policeman’s brother said he was under tremendous pressure after he was reportedly threatened him. “He looked very tense after smuggling incident came to light. Two days ago, two motorcycle-borne people came to his house and threatened him. He was worried after this. He told some of his friends that the smuggling syndicate suspected his role for tipping off the authorities,” his brother said.
A police officer said his statement will be recorded and handed over to the NIA, which is investigating the smuggling case.
Indian Administrative Services officer M Sivasankar, the chief minister’s former prinicipal secretary, was suspended from service on Thursday after he was grilled by the NIA for his alleged links with Suresh.
Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front has said it will bring a no-confidence motion against CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s government over the smuggling. “The chief minister cannot get away by suspending his secretary. The needle of suspicion is on him now,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.
The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led alliance has a comfortable majority of 98 lawmakers in the 140-member Kerala assembly. “The governments’ popularity after its perfect virus management really worries the Opposition. So it is creating a smokescreen raising allegations,” said CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
The Customs separately carried out raids in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts and detained four more people in connection with the smuggling case. At least 12 people have already been arrested by the agency till now.
(With inputs from PTI)
