Kerala: Special court sends 5 accused in gold smuggling case to NIA custody till Wednesday

A special NIA court in Kochi here on Monday sent five accused in the high-profile Kerala gold smuggling case to the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) till Wednesday.

Abdu PT, Sharafuddhin KT, Muhammad Shafeeq, Hamjad Ali and Muhammad Ali, who have been arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case, were today sent to the NIA custody for three days. The special court will consider the bail applications, filed by the five accused, on Thursday.

The special court also posted the bail application of Swapna Suresh, who is the key accused in the case, for pronouncing the order on Thursday.

During the arguments, the counsel appearing for the NIA submitted, "We have not received the data retrieved by the Customs department yet. It may take some time."

The Kerala gold smuggling case, which is being probed by the NIA, the Enforcement Directorate and the Customs Department, pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels.

The matter had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crores smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the Customs in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5.

(ANI)