NE NEWS SERVICE
COIMBATORE, SEP 9
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday carried out searches at the residence of a gold smith in Coimbatore in connection with the Kerala gold smuggling case, police sources said.
A four-member NIA team raided the house of Nandakumar on Cross Cut road early this morning, they said. He has been detained for interrogation. The matter pertains to smuggling of gold in the neighbouring Kerala through diplomatic channels, which came to light after 30 kg yellow metal worth Rs 14.82 crores, smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage, was busted by Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5.
NIA is probing into the terror funding angle in the case in which a number of people including the alleged master mind Swapna Suresh, a former employee of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapruam, have been arrested.
