Thiruvananthapuram: Customs authorities have detained a former member of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's staff and another person at the IGI airport in an alleged case of gold smuggling.
In a statement, the Customs on Thursday said that on the basis of suspicion, its officers have booked a case of gold smuggling against an Indian national who arrived here from Bangkok on Wednesday.
This suspected involvement of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's aide in gold smuggling comes as a shot in the arm for the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala to launch a counter attack.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was often targeted by the opposition Congress over his alleged involvement in gold and dollar smuggling after his then Principal Secretary M Sivasankar was arrested in connection with the case.
On Thursday, referring to the allegation against Tharoor's personal staff, CPM state secretary M V Govindan told reporters that now it became clear who was involved in gold smuggling.
Congress leaders in Kerala are yet to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, BJP leader and union minister of state Rajeev Chandrasekhar, ridiculed that after Kerala chief minister's secretary, Congress MP's aide was detained for gold smuggling. CPM and Congress, both INDI alliance partners, are "alliance of gold smugglers", he said in a post on X.
Chandrasekhar contested against Tharoor in this Lok Sabha election at the latter's sitting seat Thiruvananthapuram.
Published 30 May 2024, 04:43 IST