Even as he is trying to wriggle free from the grip of the infamous solar scam in which he is allegedly involved, the office of Kerala’s Congress Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has come under suspicion in yet another scandal, this time related to a huge racket specialising in gold smuggling and suspected hawala operations.
Sources in the Kochi Customs on Tuesday indicated that Faiz Aboobacker, prime accused in the case pertaining to the smuggling of gold through the Kochi International Airport using women, could have been keeping close connection with Chandy’s former aide Jikkumon Jacob and another person still serving in his personal staff.
The Customs came to the conclusion that Faiz, a native of Mahe, an enclave of the State of Pondicherry, could have been keeping connections with Jikkumon from the records of his phone calls and details found from his Facebook account. It is also suspected that Faiz had played host to Jikkumon during his Gulf trips.
Sources said that there were enough indications to suggest that the Facebook relation between Faiz and Jikkumon needs not be a mere social media friendship. Faiz used to address Jikkumon as “brother” in the Facebook exchanges, it is said. The telephone call records also proved the connection between the two, they said.
The authorities have also received indications that Faiz used to establish friendship with Ministers, their aides and film artistes visiting the Gulf and use them for smuggling gold through the Green Channel at airports. However, Jikkumon, expelled from Chandy’s personal staff in June for his close connections with solar scam perpetrator Saritha S Nair, denied the charge.
The allegation against Jikkumon and another of Chandy aides has given a sharp weapon to the Opposition to attack the Chief Minister. State CPI(M) secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who wanted to know whether Chandy had any connection with Faiz, said on Tuesday that the Chief Minister’s office had become a place where fraudsters could walk in freely.
Deputy Opposition leader in the Assembly and CPI(M) Politburo member Kodiyeri Balakrishnan demanded an NIA probe into the allegation. “The national leadership of the Congress should look into the alleged hawala and extremist connections of people in the Chief Minister’s office,” he said on Tuesday.
However, Jikkumon said he had never gone out of his way to help to Faiz. “The point we should address is whether I had done anything to help to him. I have done nothing wrong. I have nothing more to say. let there be a probe by any agency trusted by the people and let the truth come out,” he said.
According to observers, the new development could make Chandy weaker before the Congress high command which is yet to examine the charges against him in the solar scam. Also, this would give an opportunity for his enemies in the State Congress to launch a renewed attack against him.
Also, this would force the Congress into the defensive at a time when parties are starting their preparations for the lok Sabha election. “In the solar scam also, the charges had first come against Chandy’s aides. Suspicions on his involvement came later. That might happen here also,” said a leader belonging to the ‘I’ group of the Congress, Chandy’s enemy camp.
Gold weighing 20 kilos was seized from two woman passengers from Gulf at the Kochi International Airport on September 19. Their interrogation had led to the arrest of Faiz, the kingpin of the racket. It is said that two top Customs officials had helped him execute the smuggling operation and a probe had already begun against them.