Kerala Police Seize 150 kg of Gold and Rs 123 Crore in Five-Year Crackdown

The largest gold smuggling seizure in Kerala occurred in 2022, with 80 kg of gold seized across 98 cases.

Kerala, once ridiculed as a hub for gold smuggling, is now working to reshape its image under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. As part of its ongoing crackdown on gold and hawala smuggling, the Kerala Police have seized nearly 150 kg of gold, valued at Rs 81 crore, and registered 337 hawala cases, confiscating around Rs 123 crore over the past five years.

According to reports, CM Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed the state police to take strict action against the network of gold smugglers, and the recoveries and detections are a result of this crackdown.

While there have been large-scale seizures, the Opposition, in contrast, has alleged that CM Vijayan was complicit in smuggling-related offences. The CPI(M) government of Kerala has refuted the Opposition's claims and has repeatedly provided data to back their actions. ADGP Ajith Kumar, who is also facing serious allegations related to gold smuggling cases, said that external forces like gold smuggler mafias are behind the accusations levelled by independent MLA PV Anwar against him and the government. 

However, according to Kerala Police data, in the last five years, 188 gold smuggling cases have been registered, leading to the seizure of 147.79 kg of gold. Since 2020, 337 hawala-related cases have been reported, resulting in the confiscation of Rs 122.55 crore.

Last year, authorities at Kozhikode airport seized a total of 298 kilograms of gold, valued at nearly Rs 200 crore. Of this, customs officials confiscated 270 kilograms, while the police seized an additional 28 kilograms.

The largest gold smuggling seizure occurred in 2022, with 80 kg of gold seized across 98 cases. In 2023, this decreased to 61 cases involving 49 kg of gold. So far, in the current year, 18 kg of gold has been seized.

Hawala fund detection peaked in 2023, with 94 cases involving Rs 39 crore uncovered. In the previous year, 67 cases worth Rs 35.5 crore were detected. As of this year, 67 cases amounting to Rs 150 crore have already been detected.