Thiruvananthapuram: An IAS officer posted in the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been removed for trying to rescue a former employee of a foreign embassy in a gold smuggling case in Kerala (Kerla). The opposition parties in the state accused the CMO about this matter. The officer’s contract was suspended by the government after an alleged case of smuggling 30 kg of gold seized by the Customs Department on 4 July. However, the Chief Minister rejected the allegations made by the opposition.
After the customs team seized gold worth Rs 15 crore at Thiruvananthapuram airport, a senior official said that his department is investigating how unauthorized people may be involved in approving cargo.
This gold arrived with a diplomatic bag in air cargo
According to the information received, this gold was reached with a diplomatic bag in the air cargo. When Vijayan was asked about the allegations of opposition, he told the media that he is not aware of the matters related to his appointment, it will be seen.
Vijayan responded to the allegations of opposition that the Chief Minister’s Office never had any communication with anyone involved in corruption and the people of the state know this. He said that the people involved in this will not be saved.
Sarit Kumar, an accused in the case and former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Thiruvananthapuram in the UAE, has been on remand for 14 days in the case after he was arrested on Monday. However, sources in the customs department have confirmed that another woman, Swapna Suresh, is also under suspicion in this case. The woman claimed her bag full of gold.
Congress charges, CMO becomes the base of criminals
Swapna Suresh was also a former employee of the UAE Consulate. Along with this, she was also working as a PRO in one of the companies associated with the Department of Information Technology, Government of Kerala. Sources associated with the Chief Minister’s Office said, “The contract of the person concerned has been terminated after serious allegations.”
At the same time, senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter, alleging that the Chief Minister’s office had become a ‘base of criminals’. BJP chief K Surendran alleged that the customs officials received a call from the Chief Minister’s office soon after this seizure.
