Kochi:
Customs sleuths probing illegal liquor sale by the Plus Max duty free company said on Thursday that main accused in the case S Prakadeesh Kumar, director of the company, was detained at Trichy airport based on their lookout notice on December 6. However, he managed to fly to Malaysia after producing an interstate anticipatory bail from Madras high court.
Even though the HC granted interstate interim anticipatory bail, it had directed the petitioner to surrender before the chief judicial magistrate in Salem within 15 days to execute bond and to approach the competent court in Kochi within five weeks of execution of bond to seek appropriate relief. The order dated December 6 was produced by the accused on the same night when he got detained. Sources said it is learnt that he went to Kuala Lumpur on December 10.
“Our side was never heard. It was only on Wednesday that we got the court order via email. He is supposed to adhere to the bail conditions but he seems to have left the country. The probe is almost complete and we have despatched a ‘demand show cause’ notice asking the accused to pay up the evaded duty of Rs 8.5 crore,” said a customs official.
The demand show cause notice has been sent to staff of Plus Max group, including directors Prakadeesh Kumar, Suryaprakasam Ramaswamy and CEO R Sundarvasan among other staff. Also, the notice has been sent to Luke K George, a customs official who allegedly leaked airline manifest to the company, George G Tharakan, airport director of Trivandrum International Airport where the alleged scam happened, K M Sasikumar, an AGM with the Airports Authority of India and B Sanil Kumar alias Sanal who runs a baggage wrapping unit.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com