Kerala smuggling case has huge ramifications for national security, to be probed under UAPA

New Delhi, July 10: The organised smuggling operation may have implications on national security, the Home Ministry said while ordering a probe by the National Investigation Agency into the Kerala smuggling case.

Cases would be registered under Sections 15,16, 17 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 2004. This prima facie clearly looks like an organised racket and also has international links to it. The case needs to be probed under the UAPA, as it has massive ramifications for national security, an NIA official informed OneIndia.

The custom officers at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday during an operation at the International Airport seized 30 kilograms of gold worth Rs 15 crore.

The gold was seized from a consignment meant for the Consulate of the United Arab Emirates in the city. The main accused was identified as a woman by the name Swapna Suresh.

The opposition has been targeting the Kerala Chief Minister's Office, because Swapna was working in the IT department, which is directly under the purview of the CM's office. She has however been sacked.

Swapna Suresh is a former employee of the UAE consulate. The police say that Swapna had forged documents of the UAE Consulate to obtain diplomatic immunity to run the gold smuggling operations.

She had also hidden the fact that she worked in the Kerala IT department and that there was an investigation by the crime branch against her. This case relates to a forgery allegedly committed when she was. Trainer with Air India Sats.

Swapna Suresh was born in Abu Dhabi. Her father originally from Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram was posted in Abu Dhabi. She had worked with the passenger services department in Abu Dhabi, following which shifted to Thiruvananthapuram with her daughter, owing to divorce.

Back home she worked in a travel agency for two years and then got a job at Air India Sats in 2013. In 2016, she returned to Abu Dhabi. Over there she worked for as the secretary of the Consulate General in the UAE. Last year she left the job, but the police say she was expelled for irregularities. Due to her UAE job, she got to know many bigwigs in Kerala.

It may be recalled that the accused persons in the actress Shamma Kasim extortion case had told the police about a woman. This is what led to the busting of this case.