The case involving the smuggling of 30 kg gold in Kerala will be taken over by the National Investigation Agency, the Union Home Ministry declared today, saying the “organised smuggling operation may have serious implications for national security”.
The nod from the home ministry came as a political firestorm raged in the state over the case, in which the opposition Congress has alleged the involvement of CPM Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office.
The gold, concealed in a diplomatic package linked to the United Arab Emirates consulate in the state, was detected by the Customs Department at the Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 4.