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Thiruvananthapuram/ New Delhi:
A probe has been launched into the Kerala gold smuggling case reported final week, the UAE Embassy mentioned on Tuesday, including the “culprits who sought to tarnish the reputation of the UAE mission in India will not be spared.” Hours after the opposition leaders questioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan within the case, alleging makes an attempt by his workplace to protect a suspect, a senior IAS officer was faraway from the put up of principal secretary to the Chief Minister on Tuesday. M Sivasankar, Pinarayi Vijayan’s former aide, was additionally relieved from the put up of IT Secretary. Swapna Suresh, a suspect within the smuggling of 30 kg of gold seized by the Customs division on July 4, had “close links” to M Sivasankar, opposition chief Ramesh Chennithala has alleged in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Kerala Chief Minister has denied allegations of anybody being shielded by his workplace. Ramesh Chennithala has sought the resignation of chief minister, pending CBI inquiry.
Here is your ten-point cheat sheet on this huge story:
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Around 30 kg of gold value Rs 15 crore, which was part of a diplomatic consignment, was seized by the Customs division on July 4. The consignment had arrived on the Thiruvananthapuram airport. Sarith Kumar, an accused within the case and a former public relations officer (PRO) of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram, was remanded for 14 days within the case after he was arrested on Monday.
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Sources within the Customs division confirmed on Tuesday that one other lady – Swapna Suresh – can be being seen as a “person of interest” and is amongst those that staked declare over the bags. She was additionally a former worker on the UAE Consulate and a advertising and marketing officer for one of many corporations linked to the Kerala authorities’s Information Technology division. “The contract of the concerned person has been terminated since the serious allegations emerged,” sources on the Chief Minister’s Office confirmed to NDTV on Monday.
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In a sequence of tweets, the UAE Embassy mentioned {that a} probe has been launched into the incident. “The authorities in the UAE have launched an investigation to find out who sent the cargo containing gold to the address of the UAE consulate,” the UAE Embassy mentioned on Twitter, including that “the authorities have stressed that the culprits who not only committed a major crime but also sought to tarnish the reputation of the UAE mission in India will not be spared”. “We remain committed to cooperating with Indian authorities in getting to the root of the crime,” the UAE Embassy mentioned.
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Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has denied allegations of his workplace’s hyperlinks to the case amid assaults by the opposition events and burdened that his authorities is open to probe by any company. “How can the Thiruvananthapuram gold smuggling case anyway be related to state govt? The parcel didn’t come to any of the state govt agency, it came for UAE Consulate. If there is any failure, how can state govt be responsible?” he was quoted as saying by information company ANI on Tuesday.
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Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has searched for a CBI probe within the smuggling case. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, the 64-year-old politician alleged that the “diplomatic immunity to UAE Consulate has been misused”.
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“The main accused in this smuggling case Ms. Swapna Suresh has been appointed by Government of Kerala, disregarding reports of the state intelligence against her and not withstanding an investigation against her by the Crime Branch of Kerala Police,” he claimed within the letter, including that it “proves her deep-rooted links with the power centres at the office of Chief Minister of Kerala.”
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BJP state president Ok Surendran, who was the primary to boost this problem, had additionally linked the Chief Minister’s workplace to the case. “Why were calls made from the CMO to protect this woman? Why was she given a prominent position despite earlier cases against her? If you probe the call records of Kerala CM’s IT secretary, you will get the details of the calls mad,” Ok Surendran mentioned. While a Customs official denied the allegation to few native reporters, a senior Customs officer has mentioned that the probe is on.
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The Chief Minister on Monday refuted the allegations of involvement of anybody from his workplace being shielded. “No one will be shielded in that regard. People here understand what Chief Minister’s office stands for,” Pinarayi Vijayan responded throughout his night press briefing on Monday when requested in regards to the remarks by the opposition events.
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M Sivasankar was eliminated on Tuesday morning from the put up of secretary to the Chief Minister. Later in the course of the day, a brand new IT secretary was appointed Mr Sivasankar was relieved of his put up on account of a protracted go away.
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The case has triggered an enormous political row within the state amid combat in opposition to coronavirus.
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