CBI to review details of passengers

KOCHI: The CBI team probing the recent gold smuggling incident at Cochin International Airport has asked two airline operators to provide details of those who have travelled to the Gulf countries recently.
CBI officers said they had requested passenger details from two major airline operators offering services to the UAE and other Gulf countries. "Examining the passenger details from all airline operators will be difficult.We have concentrated on three major operators offering services to the Gulf countries. Also, the flow of gold is mainly from the Gulf countries. We have asked Air India and Emirates to provide passenger details to make a detailed study," CBI Kochi unit SP K Krishnakumar said.
He said the CBI was investigating the case primarily because two public servants were arrested for their alleged involvement in gold smuggling. Of the four arrested in the case, E V Manu and R Krishnakumar are sub-inspectors with the state police on deputation to the airport immigration wing. Mohammad Rasheed, a travel agency operator from Kalady, and Ijas Abdulla Kambar, a carrier from Kasaragod, are the other two persons arrested.
The two immigration officials allegedly helped smugglers take gold outside the airport
. The racket was busted when Ijas was caught with four kg gold at the airport on January 14. "One of the arrested confessed that the racket had smuggled gold in a similar manner
around 30 times. Examining passenger details will help us verify that," Krishnakumar said.
Customs had found that the same racket had smuggled gold on January 7.
The CBI will also seek the custody of the four for a detailed probe if the high court turns down their bail petition on Tuesday. The accused had approached the high court after their bail petition was dismissed by the Ernakulam additional chief judicial magistrate (economic offences) court on Thursday.