Kerala Minister KT Jaleel grilled by Customs Dept for nearly 7 hours

Kerala Higher Education Minister KT Jaleel was interrogated by the Customs Department at its office in Kochi for around six and a half hours on Monday in a case of bringing Quran copies through the UAE Consulate.

Jaleel arrived at the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) office at around 11.45 am and the interrogation ended at around 6.30 pm.

But as a difference, this time he arrived at the Customs office in his official car.

Customs earlier stated in the court, "Around 250 packages containing 31 copies of Quran in each was imported by the consulate. The consulate had handed over 32 packets containing copies of the Quran to Jaleel which was distributed at various parts of Kerala in connection with Ramzan observance. The distribution of Quran copies as imported duty-free by the Consulate."

Later, Customs filed a separate case in the bringing of Quran Copies through the UAE Consulate. Customs also found that there was a difference between the weights of the consignment to the weight recorded formally.

After this, the gunman of the minister was interrogated by the Customs last week.

Earlier, the NIA and the ED interrogated him in the allied matters of the Kerala gold smuggling case.

( With inputs from ANI )