Chennai court acquits customs officer in diamond misappropriation case

CHENNAI: The additional special court for CBI cases in Chennai on Thursday acquitted a customs officer and his accomplice in a Rs 2.24crore diamond misappropriation case. The judgment, delivered by principal special judge T Malarvalantina, pointed to significant gaps in customs warehouse protocols.

K S Kuppan, who was a preventive officer and custodian of valuables (COV) at the Customs House in Chennai from 2003 to 2004, was responsible for safeguarding valuables like diamonds seized from a Sri Lankan passenger at Anna International Airport here in 1996. These diamonds were stored in sealed pouches in the customs warehouse under his custody.

The CBI alleged that Kuppan had conspired with jeweller S Sanjeev Kumar and diamond merchant Jawaharlal Nahar (who died later) to steal a pouch containing 1238.65 carats of diamonds. They reportedly replaced it with non-valuable materials and sold the diamonds through associates, earning lakhs.

In 2010, a stock verification revealed only packing materials in the pouch, prompting the CBI's involvement. Despite extensive investigations, including 19 witness testimonies and forensic analysis, the court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The seized diamonds would be returned to the customs department and other items to their respective parties, the court ruled.


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