Gold smugglers knock down DRI officials near Kozhikode international airport; two held

A gold smuggling racket knocked down two officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence near Kozhikode international airport on Sunday.

While two persons were held two managed to escape. Two DRI official suffered injuries in the accident. Though there were reports that around four kilograms of gold was recovered from the vehicle, DRI officials were yet to confirm it.

The incident took place at a time when probe was progressing into a major gold smuggling racket involving UAE consulate former employees in Kerala.

Following a tip off regarding gold smuggling, DRI officials tried to intercept the vehicle near the airport. The vehicle that stopped near the DRI officials quickly tried to speed away knocking down two DRI officials. But the driver lost control on the vehicle and the vehicle rammed into a tree. While two persons in the vehicle managed to escape, two were nabbed by the DRI officials. Two DRI officials injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and their condition was stated to be out of danger.

In a subsequent search in the vehicle, gold was reported to be recovered from the vehicle. The local police registered an attempt to murder case. The injured DRI officials were identified as Albert George and Najeem.

Gold smuggling was quite rampant through Kerala airports. After the recent seizure of 30 kilogram gold from diplomatic baggage in Thiruvananthapuram, the rackets were mainly focusing on the other airports in the state.