Kerala High Court has granted bail to Swapna Suresh in the Kerala Gold Smuggling Case. Swapna Suresh has been granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 25 lakh and two sureties. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a case against Swapna under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The Division Bench of the Kerala High Court has also granted bail to seven other accused, Sarith PS, Mohammed Shafi, Jalal AM, Rabins Hameed, Ramees KT, Sharfuddin KT and Mohammad Ali. These people also appeared in court against the case filed by the NIA. However, despite being granted bail, Rabins Hameed, Mohd Shafi P and Ramees KT will have to remain in jail for now as they are yet to complete their sentence under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities (COFEPOSA) Act. However, barring these three people, all the other 4 people will be released from jail.
Swapna Suresh, arrested in a gold smuggling case, will be released from Attakulangara Women's Jail in Thiruvananthapuram after 15 months. Swapna Suresh was arrested by NIA from Bangalore. The NIA had registered a case under UAPA against Swapna to probe the terrorism connection in the smuggling case.
Swapna Suresh's lawyer Sooraj T Elenjikal told that her client is in jail since July 11, 2020. After hearing his bail plea, a division bench of Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice C Jayachandran ordered his release on bail. Now his client will be out of jail soon. Earlier, the special court of NIA had rejected the bail plea of Swapna. NIA alleges that others including Swapna are involved in a conspiracy to hurt the country's economy. Some people have been appointed, who together have formed a terrorist gang.
These people extorted money and tried to damage UAE's friendly relations with India by smuggling gold from United Arab Emirates (UAE) using diplomatic channels. It is a terrorist activity and an offence under sections 16, 17, 18 and 20 of the UAPA Act. In this case, NIA has filed a charge sheet against 20 accused. Testimony of 267 people has been done.