Accused in Kerala gold smuggling case has connections with Dawood Ibrahim, says NIA

NIRMAL YESODA

In a shocking development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found that one of the accused in the sensational Kerala gold smuggling case has connections with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, reports IANS.

The probe conducted by the NIA revealed that the accused has traveled to Tanzania, where Dawood Ibrahim has vast networks, and alleged weapon trading business. NIA submitted their findings to the special court on Wednesday.

“K.T. Ramees and M. Sharafuddin visited Tanzania on several occasions and met one of Dawood’s close aide Feroze ‘Oasis’ and discussed ways to smuggle firearms into the country,” a top NIA official told IANS.

According to NIA, KT Ramees initially visited Tanzania in 2016 to begin a diamond business. Later, he smuggled one kilogram gold from Tanzania to the UAE in 2017. The NIA official revealed that Ramees was caught at the Kozhikode airport in 2019 with 13 smuggled revolvers.

Upon questioning, Ramees had claimed that he bought the revolvers for Palakkad Rifle Club. However, the charge was denied by the Rifle Club authorities.

Besides the NIA, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Customs, and Income Tax are also probing the Kerala gold smuggling case. Recently, ED has questioned Kerala Higher Education Minister K.T. Jaleel in connection with the alleged import of holy books and dry dates from the UAW.