Thiruvananthapuram: CBI Kochi unit on Thursday booked 11 people over the smuggling of 25 kg gold through Thiruvananthapuram airport following the involvement of customs officials.
The link was established with the arrest of customs superintendent V. Radhakrishnan by the DRI after they found that the maximum quantity of smuggling of gold took place when his team of officials was on duty.
Prakashan Thampi, arrested on Wednesday, Biju, a lawyer, Hakkim, owner of the firm that bought the gold, Vishnu, Rashid, the manager of Hakkim's firm, KSRTC conductor Sunil, Serina Shaji and advocate Vineetha Kumari, the wife of advocate Biju, are other defendants. The investigating officers after examining visuals of CCTV could establish that Mr Radhakrishnan, who is the air intelligence superintendent of the air customs unit, was on duty at the X-ray scanning system all the six times when Serina flew from Dubai with gold.
Apart from him, they questioned two customs inspectors and raided their homes along with that of Mr Radhakrishnan. They were on duty on May 13.
The DRI officials had confiscated the phones of five customs officials who were on duty. After examinations, phones of two officials were returned, and the other three were sent for further scientific analysis at the CDAC. The decision on registering cases against the two others who were from other states will be taken after that.
The role of customs officers was exposed when 25 kg of gold was seized from the bags of Sunil and Serina Shaji when they came out of the airport after checking on May 13.
