ED officials 'pressurised' me to name CM in Kerala gold smuggling case, says accused Sandeep Nair

Kerala gold smuggling case accused Sandeep Nair has alleged that some Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had ''pressurised'' him to name Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the case.

This was revealed in a letter that he sent to Ernakulam District Sessions Judge. The three-paged letter came out on Friday.

He alleged in the letter, "The ED officials forced me to also name the son of a senior politician in the controversial case. The officials offered me help to get bail and other matters if I act as per their demand."

At present, Sandeep Nair is in jail after being sentenced under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act.

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

It is being probed by Enforcement Directorate (ED), National Investigative Agency (NIA) and Customs department.

During the probe of the Kerala gold smuggling case, the dollar smuggling case also came to light. The case pertains to the smuggling of $1.9 lakh by UAE Consulate employee and Egyptian national Khalid Ali Shoukry through the Thiruvananthapuram airport in August 2019.

( With inputs from ANI )