NIA to probe gold smuggling in Kerala via diplomatic baggage
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New Delhi: As the recovery of smuggled gold in diplomatic baggage has snowballed into a controversy in Kerala, The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday asked the National Investigating Agency (NIA) to probe the case.
MHA may have sensed what a report said “organized operations might have serious implications for national security”.
The Customs unearthed the gold from diplomatic baggage from Thiruvanathpuram airport days ago.
The gold was smuggled inside diplomatic parcels from UAE to its consulate in Kerala.
After the case erupted leading to spats between the ruling and opposition parties, several central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were reportedly closely watching the case.
Following allegations of a senior official having links with some of the accused, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office was bedraggled into the spiraling controversy.
Meanwhile, CM Pinarayi in a letter to PM Modi sought thorough investigation into the case as it has many ‘angles’.