Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 27 (IANS): The car believed to be used by airport gold smuggling suspect Arjun Ayanki was found hidden behind bushes on a hillock opposite the Pariyaram Medical College hospital in Kerala's Kannur district, police said on Sunday.

Police had been on the lookout for the car which was suspected to be used in the gold smuggling at Karippur airport in Kozhikode district. The recent accident at Ramanattukara in Kozhikode, in which five people lost their lives during a chase between two gold smuggling gangs, had shocked the people.

Ayanki was a CPI-M supporter and was the party "Red Volunteer" captain in Kannur, and with his huge following in social media, was the "Facebook warrior", attacking political opponents in the cyber world. However, the party leadership, both at Kannur and the state level, washed their hands off him after the gold smuggling incidents came to light.

The Kannur police on Sunday evening identified the car using its engine number as the number plates had been removed.

The red Maruti Swift car belongs to C. Sajesh from Chembilode who was a CPI-M member and DYFI Chembilode division Secretary. After the news of his car being involved in the smuggling, Sajesh was promptly expelled from the party.

Sources close to Sajesh said that the car was always used by Ayanki ever since he had brought the car.

The CPI-M is in a spot after the names of several of its lower-level cadres came in the forefront in the gold smuggling case, and that too in Kannur - the home district of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Kannur district Secretary M.V. Jayarajan had on Thursday called a press conference and openly distanced from those involved in the gold smuggling case. Party's state Acting Secretary, A. Vijayaraghavan also said that the CPI-M will not support any anti-social activities and will not allow any of the party cadres to be involved in such dealings.