Customs officials investigating the Karipur gold smuggling case have asked the wife of Arjun Ayanki, an accused in the case, to appear at the Kochi office on Monday for questioning.
The investigation team, which came with Ayanki to Kannur for evidence collection on Saturday morning, said it obtained crucial evidence from his home linking him to the gold smuggling case. The team reportedly found documents and digital evidence from the house .
Meanwhile, Ayanki corrected his earlier statement that his phone was lost while he was trying to shift his car from his hideout. During evidence collection at Azhikode, he said he threw it in the nearby Valapattanam river.
Ayanki, who initially denied involvement in the case, admitted stealing gold from gold smugglers in the past. He said he came to Karipur to get money and not to steal gold.
Officials suspect that Ayanki is trying to escape from the case by admitting to role in unsubstantiated allegations. It is also learnt that there is not enough evidence to take C. Sajesh, who was recently suspended from the CPI(M), into custody.
‘Kodi’ Suni
The Customs on Saturday raided the houses of ‘Kodi’ Suni and Mohammad Shafi, convicts in the T.P. Chandrasekharan murder case.
Their houses at Mahe were raided based on the statement of Ayanki. Ayanki, during Customs questioning, had testified that Suni and Shafi had helped him in robbing gold from smugglers and they had been paid for this.
Earlier, it was reported that Suni, who was jailed after his sentencing, was controlling the gang indulging in such activities from the jail. Shafi is on parole at present.
The investigation team seized a laptop from the house of Shafi. Officials said they gained vital information during the raid on Shafi’s house. However, there was no one at Suni’s house when the team reached there.
