During their investigation of the Kerala Dollar smuggling case, the Customs Department has been accused of allegedly threatening Assistant State Protocol Officer MS Harikrishnan. In a notice filed by the Kerala Secretariat Employment Association, they have raised sharp criticism against Customs Assistant Commissioner Lalu for supposedly threatening Harikrishna during the course of interrogation in connection with the Dollar smuggling case.
The association is said to have criticised the central government for trying to introduce Sangh During their investigation of the Kerala Dollar smuggling case, the Customs Department has been accused of allegedly threatening Assistant State Protocol Officer MS Harikrishnan. In a notice filed by the Kerala Secretariat Employment Association, they have raised sharp criticism against Customs Assistant Commissioner Lalu for supposedly threatening Harikrishna during the interrogation in connection with the Dollar smuggling case.
The association is said to have criticised the central government for trying to introduce Sangh Parivar politics in Kerala by using the Customs department, and to have indirectly criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in the statement. According to reports, the Customs had made remarks ridiculing the Kerala government while interrogating Harikrishnan. The notice also stated that the association would file a complaint with Kerala DGP Loknath Behera against the Customs.
Harikrishnan had appeared at the customs office in Kochi on January 6. He was summoned by the agency to verify whether the UAE Consulate had informed the state protocol department about the arrival of diplomatic cargo for availing duty-free import. The probe had earlier revealed that no permission from the state protocol department was sought for importing cargo by the UAE Consulate.
Thirty kilograms of 24-carat gold worth Rs 14.82 Crore was seized by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs at Thiruvananthapuram Airport from a diplomatic bag that was meant to have been delivered to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2020. Later Customs arrested PS Sarith Kumar, a former public relations officer of the consulate who came to receive the baggage.
Currently, a multi-agency team involving five central agencies is probing the Dollar smuggling case and has arrested 34 people.
