Last updated:March 06, 2025, 18:02 IST

After the recovery of 14.8 kg of gold from the possession of Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Bengaluru Airport, there is a halt across the country. But five years ago, a case of smuggling 167 kg of gold came to light. Which …Read more

Ranya Rao Gold Smuggling Case :: There is a halt in the entire country after the recovery of 14.8 kg of gold from the possession of Kannada actress Ranya Rao at Kemp Gauda International Airport in Bangalore. But, if we look at this matter in Kerala five years ago, gold recovered from the possession of Ranya Rao is just a ‘pinch’. After the disclosure of this five -year -old case, there was a ruckus in the whole country, but in the whole world. This case of smuggling was considered to be the world’s largest gold suggestion case.

In fact, in 2020, a huge case of gold smuggling from Kerala was exposed. The accused involved in this case had political relations, so the scope of investigation into the case had reached the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A total of 167 kg of gold was recovered by the agencies involved in the investigation of the case, which was estimated to be around $ 14 million at that time. During the investigation, it was revealed that gold brought through smuggling was described as diplomatic goods in documents.

Gold brought full in container
According to reports, the matter of smuggling was not for any one day, but for several months, in which gold consignment was being sent to India continuously. When gold was seized in July 2020, its volume was 167 kg, although officials believe that the actual smuggling figure may be much more than this. The investigation also revealed that gold was ordered from Dubai and was smuggled into India through diplomatic channels, which revealed that it was part of an international smuggling network.

How the execution was given to smuggling
According to reports, this gold was brought to India as a diplomatic goods sent to the UAE Council located in Thiruvananthapuram. Since this goods was under diplomatic exemption, it was excluded from the custom investigation. Taking advantage of this exemption, the smugglers hid gold as diplomatic goods. After the disclosure of the case, Swapna Suresh, Sarith PS and M. Shivshankar were accused in this case. These three accused were not any general citizen, but one of the well -known personalities.

Who brought 167 kg gold
The entire network of smuggling was exposed after the arrest of PS Sarith, another former employee of the UAE Council. At the same time, Swapna Suresh, former employee of UAE Council, was considered the main accused in the case. Swapna Suresh had close relations with high officials of the Kerala government. Apart from this, the name of Mivashankar, former Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister of Kerala, was also related to the matter. He was suspended due to alleged relations with Swapna Suresh.

There was a ruckus in Kerala politics
The disclosure of this smuggling created political upheaval in Kerala. Opposition parties accused the ruling government of being involved in smuggling. At the same time, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) started an investigation, in which the investigation of the case was carried forward by keeping aspects of money laundering and terrorism financing.