Kerala gold smuggling case: Customs issues show-cause notice to 53 people

The Customs investigation into the Kerala gold smuggling case has issued show-cause notices to 53 people, including prime accused Swapna Suresh, suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar, and two former diplomats at the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.

The Customs probing the Kerala gold smuggling case has issued show-cause notices to 53 people including prime accused Swapna Suresh, suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar and two former diplomats in the UAE consulate, Thiruvananthapuram, official sources said here on Sunday. The notices asking why action under Customs Act should not be taken against them in the smuggling cases were issued by Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Sumit Kumar on June 16. The case against them involves smuggling of a total of 167 kg of gold 23 times including the illegal trade of 30 kilograms gold worth nearly Rs 15 crore that was seized by the Customs at Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic bag on July 5, 2020, the sources told PTI.