: The probe into the Aluva brown sugar seizure case seems to have taken a new turn with a couple of accused confessing to smuggling in large quantities of gold to Kerala through the Thiruvanthapuram, Chennai and Bangalore airports from Dubai.
Official sources with the excise enforcement and anti-narcotic squad said Shafi Noushad and Abik, the first and third accused respectively, admitted to their roles in gold smuggling operations. The quantity of gold they had brought in, however, is yet to be assessed.
The sleuths are now in the process of examining their passports to verify the details about their foreign trips.
The officials also pointed to the links of the arrested persons with the accused in the Muvattupuzha palm chopping case. They, however, refused to elaborate on it as it would affect the progress of the case, especially against the backdrop of three members, including the local operator Ibrahim, still in hiding.
Meanwhile, the Excise have already taken three of the accused into custody as part of the interrogation while the remaining two would be taken on Tuesday for cross examining. The sleuths have so far arrested five people into custody and while one member of the racket allegedly committed suicide fearing arrest.
