Kerala Gold Smuggling Case: CCTV visuals of Secretariat unlikely to be handed over to NIA soon

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Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government is unlikely to immediately hand over the CCTV images of the Secretariat to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the 30kg gold smuggling case.

After a directive from higher-ups, the process of compiling the visuals has been reportedly stopped.

The NIA had sought the images to ascertain if gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh had been to the offices of the Chief Minister and Minister KT Jaleel.

The NIA team had sent an official request to the Chief Secretary 18 days ago, seeking visuals during the period from July 2019 to July 2020.

However, it was not specified when the visuals were to be handed over. Taking advantage of this ambiguity, the higher-ups decided against compiling the images for now.

From the accused’s statements, it has become clear that Swapna and certain other accused had visited the office of M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the CM, several times.

Another official in the CM’s staff is also under the scanner of the NIA. The probe team suspects that Swapna had visited the office to meet this official too.

There are 83 cameras at the Secretariat and Annexe building. But four cameras at the Chief Secretary’s ofce were not working for a week in May, the Additional Secretary of the General Administration Department informed the NIA. Apart from that period, all other visuals were available, it was informed.

The control room had begun the procedures to compile the images. But then it was decided against handing over the visuals for now.

A multi-agency probe was initiated after the Customs seized 30kg gold from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram last month. The Union Home Ministry had directed the NIA to take over the probe. Swapna Suresh and another accused Sandeep Nair were arrested from Bengaluru by the NIA. Senior IAS official Sivasankar was removed from key posts over his alleged association with the smuggling case accused.