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29 March 2024

Two gold smugglers from Kerala murdered for loot

Published
By VM Sathish

Two young men from Kerala's Malabar region who were involved in smuggling gold from the Gulf region to India were brutally murdered in Manglore and buried in a  plantation in the Indian state's Kasargodu area, R Hithendra, Manglore Police Commissioner, revealed on Monday.

The duo were murdered on July 1, 2014 and five days later their partially decomposed bodies were retrieved.

Gulf-based smuggling rackets have been luring young men to work as carriers to various destinations. They are often enticed by free air tickets and money.

Gold smuggling has been on the rise in recent years due to considerable price difference of the precious metal in India and the Gulf region, and several gold carriers have been nabbed at the airports, trying to smuggle gold using the most sophisticated methods.

Elaborating details of the double murder, the Manglore police commissioner said NJ, a 24-year-old and FJ, 25, were murdered by his friends and the double murder is related to 3.5 kgs of gold that they smuggled from Dubai to Banglore but did not give to the smuggling agent who was monitoring their movement in India.

Instead of delivering the 3kg gold to the agent, NJ managed to give a slip to the smuggling agents and went to Goa.

The duo were regular carriers of gold smuggling from the Gulf to India. After spending all the money earned from selling smuggled gold, they tried to sell the remaining gold and planned to return to the Gulf with another fake passport.

The deceased sold 2.5 kg of gold with the help of some of his friends for 7 million Indian rupees. The remaining one kilogram gold has been seized by the police.

According to police reports, the two men worked as gold carriers and in November 2013,  carried 3.5 kg  of gold from Dubai to Banglore using a passport issued from Hydrabad. Instead of delivering the smuggled gold to the agreed agent, he went to Goa with a plan to sell off the gold and keep the profits.

Three people who have been arrested by the Karnataka Police, helped the two men to sell the smuggled gold. They became friends while living in close proximity.

Three youngsters , Mohammed Mahajir Sanaf, resident of Cherkala Badiadka, Kasargod, Mohammed Irshad and Mohammed Safwan, residents of Anangoor have been arrested in connection with the murder. Police is investigating if others were also involved in the case, including a house owner who rented the Manglore house where the murder happened.