The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an absconder wanted in the politically sensational UAE Consulate-centered gold smuggling case that rocked the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala in 2020.
The agency identified the wanted person as Ratheesh, a resident of Kannur. A press release issued by the NIA on September 20 said the agency arrested him when he arrived from Dubai. It did not elaborate further on the circumstances of his detention.
The case related to the suspected exploitation of the UAE Consulate’s diplomatic channel and political goodwill to smuggle gold into India in trade quantities through the Thiruvananthapuram air cargo terminal during the 2019-20 period.
