Terror link suspected behind Kochi immigration racket.

published on December 15, 2012

Investigators believe that the immigration racket based at the Kochi international airport, Nedumbassery, which had illegally helped over 1,50,000 people without proper travel documents to migrate into Arabian countries between 2003 and 2012, could have extremist connections.

The suspicion strengthened after it was found that the bank account being used by the kingpin of the racket, a civil police official named AP Ajeeb deputed to the airport’s Immigration wing, had received Rs 50,000 from a person named Shameem, who is believed to be the younger brother of LeT’s South India commander Thadiyantavide Nazeer. Sources said that Ajeeb, who had gone on medical leave a month ago and is presently absconding after being suspended from service, could be arrested soon. Investigators have learned that the racket had been charging a minimum of Rs 100,000 per person as bribe for facilitating emigration into the Gulf.

As per the report the investigating official has submitted to the State Director General of Police, the person named Shameem, who had transferred Rs 50,000 to the account of Ajeeb’s father, could be the younger brother of Thadiyantavide Nazeer, prime accused in several terror cases including the one pertaining to the Bangalore bombings of 2008. It has been found that the money was transferred to the account from Kannur in May, 2011 and, according to the police, Nazeer’s brother Shameem had gone to the Gulf after that period. Extremists from Kerala have always considered Gulf countries as a safe haven and several of them are still holed up there. Inquiries have revealed that about Rs 60 lakh had come to the account of Ajeeb’s father alone. Ajeeb, attached to the Nedumbassery police station and had joined the airport’s Immigration wing for the first time in 2003, is reported to have close connections with many other human trafficking rackets.