Kerala gold smuggling case: Customs files complaint with COFEPOSA Board against prisons department

KOCHI: The customs department filed a complaint with the COFEPOSA Board against the prisons department alleging that customs officials were restricted from accompanying the visitors of gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh in prison.
Customs have earlier said that their officials have to be present when visitors meet Swapna in prison to prevent conspiracies in the case, but the prison authorities were not allowing it now.Customs also planned to move the high court regarding this.
Swapna is currently detained under COFEPOSA (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act) and lodged at Attakulangara prison. Usually, the officials of probe agencies are allowed along with visitors of prisoners who are booked under COFEPOSA. The Customs officers were allowed to enter the prison along with Swapna’s visitors including her relatives until recently. But the director general of prisons has reportedly issued a circular stating that customs officers cannot be allowed as per the prison laws.
Citing the circular as a reason, the prison officers denied entry of customs officials when Swapna’s relatives came to the prison to visit her the other day. The circular stated that the presence of investigating officials is not mandatory according to the state’s rules of COFEPOSA and normal prison laws are applicable for COFEPOSA prisoners also.
Customs officials said that the move is to sabotage the investigation and will move HC against it. They said conspiracies can happen during the visitors’ meeting with the accused within the prisons; hence they should be monitored by the probing agency.