Customs seeks permission to include an Egyptian national as accused in dollar smuggling case
Nov 03, 2020
Kochi (Kerala) [India], November 3 : The Customs department on Tuesday moved a Kochi court seeking permission to include Khalid Muhammad Ali Shoukri, an Egyptian national who was an employee of the UAE Consulate, as an accused in the dollar smuggling case.
The application, filed by the Customs department, will come up for hearing before the court on Thursday.
Earlier the Customs department found that Khalid, the head of UAE Consulate's finance division, had carried USD 1.90 lakh to Cairo via Muscat on August 7, 2019.
According to the Customs, Swapna Suresh has illegally smuggled USD 1,90,000 from Kerala to abroad. Swapna had used her ID card of UAE consulate to illegally transport the money.
The dollar smuggling came to light during the investigation of the Kerala gold smuggling case, which is currently being probed by the National Investigation Agency, the Enforcement Directorate, and the Customs department.
The matter, which pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels, was revealed after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crores smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5.
