Customs Commissioner Alleges Laxity in Kerala Police Probe on Attacks on Customs Officials

Kerala government and the police are not interested in finding the people responsible for the attacks against the Customs department according to Sumith Kumar, Customs Commissioner.

Kerala Customs (Preventive) Commissioner Sumith Kumar has levelled serious allegations against the state government and the police. In an interview to TNM, he alleged that the police have no interest in finding the people involved in the attack against him and the previous two attacks against the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) officials and Customs officials.

Kumar, who is the investigating officer in various cases linked to the controversial gold smuggling case, spoke with this reporter in a telephonic interview. “Either the police are incompetent or those who run the police don’t want the truth to come out regarding who is behind these incidents,” said Kumar. “In my case, I was attacked two years back and the FIR was launched by the local police at Ernakulam, however nothing has happened, so why should I think that something will happen now.”

Earlier, on February 12, Kumar in a complaint to the police alleged that some people followed his car when he was returning to Kozhikode from Kalpetta in Wayanad district. Officials from the customs office said in a complaint to the police that this was intended to put his life in danger.

“The FIRs were registered. What happened? Nothing,” said Kumar. “There is a complete breakdown of the law and order machinery in the state, but nobody cares. The reality is being denied by everyone including the media, however we are continuing to do our job.”

However, two persons from Mukkam of Kozhikode were taken into custody by the Kerala Police over this complaint.

Kumar said that the people who were at the receiving end of the gold smuggling investigations carried out by him and his team are behind the attacks. “They are reacting. In the last 6 months we have sustained at least three attacks,” said Kumar. “All three attacks happened in the same area,” he said.

He also said that the Customs and DRI officials suspect who is behind the gold smuggling cases and that they plan to investigate till they get to the bottom of it. “This is not the first time that attacks against the Customs department has happened and it won’t be the last time,” said Kumar. “They find me to be an obstacle and this has been going on for a number of years.” He claims that this is a natural progression of events when a system is broken. “The people who are in charge do not care and that is why these incidents were not taken to their logical conclusion,” said Kumar. “Until there is political accountability things will not change.”

He further alleged that tonnes of gold was being smuggled in and out of Kerala. “Other people are also seeing this, but they are ignoring this. When institutions like the Customs Department are attacked and the police are incapable of handling it, then who do you think is behind it?,” he asked.