Customs arrests Kerala realty firm MD in dollar smuggling case

Customs on Tuesday arrested anexecutive of a private construction firm on charges ofabetting smuggling of foreign currencies received as ''akickback'' in connection with a Kerala government's project toprovide housing for the poor.

Unitac Builders Managing Director D Santhosh Eapen wasarrested after questioning by the investigating officials atthe Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate here, where he hadbeen summoned, sources in the agency said.

According to Customs, Eapen had allegedly given foreigncurrency as kickback to some employees in the UAE consulate inThiruvananthapuram to get the construction contract for theLIFE Mission's housing project in Wadakkancherry in Thrissurdistrict that was financially supported by UAE-based RedCrescent aid agency.

He was later granted bail by the Additional ChiefJudicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) Court when Customsproduced him following the arrest.

Customs, probing the dollar smuggling case which surfacedduring the investigation into gold smuggling using diplomaticchannels, alleged Eapen had abetted in illegal 'export' offoreign currency with his full knowledge.

Former UAE Consulate finance head and Egyptian nationalKhaled Mohammed Ali Shoukry had allegedly smuggled USD 1.9lakh to Cairo via Muscat from Thiruvananthapuram airport inAugust, 2019, it has said.

This was revealed during interrogation of prime accusedin the gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh and Sarith P S,former employees of the consulate.

Earlier, central agencies probing gold smuggling case,had alleged that a conspiracy was hatched much before the MoUbetween Red Crescent and the LIFE Mission, to award the workto Unitac and Sane Ventures, which are only name lenders, tosiphon off the foreign contribution in the guise of kick backsto the officials at the UAE consulate.

The Life Mission project contemplates construction ofhousing units by utilising government funds, sponsorships, andfunds of local self-government institutions.

In 2017, the Emirates Red Crescent, the volunteerhumanitarian organisation, affiliated to the InternationalFederation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies,expressed willingness to provide about Rs 20 crore financialassistance for the construction of homes for the victims ofthe Kerala floods and also a health centre.

The customs had earlier arrested suspended IAS officer MSivasankar in the dollar smuggling case. He had also beengranted bail.