Gold smuggling case: Kerala High Court grants bail to Swapna Suresh, 7 others

A division bench of Justices K Vinod Chandran and C Jayachandran issued the decision requiring an Rs 25 lakh bail bond and two solvent sureties.  

The Kerala High Court on Tuesday granted bail to eight persons, including Swapna Suresh, in connection with gold smuggling accusations filed by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. A division bench of Justices K Vinod Chandran and C Jayachandran issued the decision requiring an Rs 25 lakh bail bond and two solvent sureties.

Swapna Suresh, Mohammed Shafi P, Jalal AM, Rabins Hameed, Ramees KT, Sharafudeen KT, Mohammad Ali, and Sarith PS were allegedly detained for smuggling gold through diplomatic channels and illegally transporting significant amounts of gold from foreign nations. They were accused of smuggling 30 kg of gold into the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram via diplomatic cargo.

Meanwhile, separate investigations were launched by the NIA, the ED, and Customs into the scam that was broken with the recovery of gold. Bail was granted under Section 439 of the CrPC for offences claimed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In the same case, on October 8, the Kerala High Court invalidated Suresh's imprisonment under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA). 

More details are awaited.