A couple of days back the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair for allegedly smuggling 30 kilograms of gold from the United Arab Emirates to Kerala.
In the official report submitted before the court today, NIA revealed that the smuggled gold was used for anti-national and terrorist activities in the state. In the meantime, fresh reports suggest that the recent gold smuggling case in Kerala is also shedding light on the death of violinist Balabhaskar.
Kalabhavan Soby sheds vital clue on Balabhaskar's death
It was on October 02, 2018, that violinist Balabhaskar died following a car accident. Soon after Balabhaskar's death, Kalabhavan Soby who apparently travelled via the accident spot claimed that he saw some people under a suspicious situation during the time of the car crash.
Now, Kalabhavan Soby has revealed that the man he saw at the accident spot was actually Sarith, who was arrested by the customs department a few days back, for his alleged connection in the gold smuggling case. Soby identified Sarith after seeing his images in news channels, following his arrest in the smuggling case.
Balabhaskar's death raises several questions
Seven months after Balabhaskar's death, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence arrested Prakash Thampi, the program coordinator and manager of Balabhaskar for his involvement in gold smuggling. Vishnu, another close aid of the violinist was also nabbed by the DRI for similar charges.
The arrest of Balabhaskar's close aids shocked many, and it made several people believe that Thampi and Vishnu had apparently used Balabhaskar's fame as a mask to smuggle illicit goods to India.
Now, in the wake of Soby's revelation, Balabhaskar's father has urged the authorities to reopen the investigation of his son's death case. Earlier, Priya Venugopal, Balabhaskar's cousin had also come forward and had alleged that foul play has happened in the death case of the late artist.
