Chennai: The United Arab Emirates has reportedly expressed its discontent with India over its name being dragged to the gold smuggling case in Kerala.
Media reports said the Gulf country has made it clear that the gold seized at Thiruvananthapuram airport was not sent through any diplomatic baggage.
The gold reached in the address of the UAE consulate in the state capital. However, the UAE is of the view that it was a personnel cargo and thus it did not hold any diplomatic immunity. Anyone could send gold from Dubai to the UAE consulate in Kerala, it argued.
The UAE said it is fully cooperating with the the ongoing investigation into the smuggling case, though it is conducting a separate probe on whether any of its nationals in the consulate had any role in it.
In the meantime, the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the case, has informed the Kerala High Court that Swapna Suresh, a former woman employee of the UAE consulate and the key suspect in the case, has been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The counsels for the Centre and the NIA said Swapna had criminal antecedents and was ‘involved’ in arranging diplomatic papers for the smuggling of the over 30 kg gold seized by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram.