CBI raids Customs officials houses: Five officials suspended

Kochi, Oct 19 (UNI) The CBI today raided the houses of six Customs officials here today, including four Superintendents, after catching some Customs officials red-handed with unaccounted foreign currency in a surprise search at the Nedumbassery International Airport near here last evening.

CBI Superintendent of Police T Vikram said that Rs one lakh was recovered from the house of Customs Superintendent K P Gopalakrishnan. Other seizures made during the raids were being scrutinised and further action would be decided after the scrutiny.

The other officials whose houses were raided were Superintendents Davis T Manath, George Pullat and K Haridasan, Inspector K G Sreekumar and Havildar Thulasidas.

Meanwhile, in a swift action, Commissioner Customs, D D Ingty today suspended five Customs officials, who were caught with foreign exchange or unaccounted currency at the Nedumbassery Airport last night.

The suspended officials were Superintendent Rajesh Kumar (recovery: ten dollars), Havildar M N Rajan (100 dollars and Rs 200), Preventive Officer V Prakasan (eight dollars), Head Havildar P A Sukumaran (200 dollars) and Preventive Officer Mohanan (a bottle of scotch).

Mr Vikram said that apart from these officials, 68 dollars and 50 Dirhams were recovered from Havildar Thulasidas also.

He said the raids were conducted at the Nedumbassery International Airport since late last evening after the agency received several complaints from passengers about harassment by customs officials.

He said the CBI had a ten-day CCTV surveillance of the airport area during the past ten days with the help of CISF personnel.

On the basis of the video-tape recordings which showed customs officials extorting money from passengers, a case had been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the raids were conducted.

Mr Vikram said in the raid last evening, the CBI sleuths caught five customs officials - one superintendent, one preventive officer (an inspector level official) and three havildars - with unaccounted foreign currency amounting to 300 US Dollars, 50 Dirhams and Rs 10,000.

However, so far no arrests had been made.

The CBI official issued an appeal to the general public to come forward with information on any harassment met by them at the hands of the Customs officials at the airport since October 10.

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