Gold smuggling through diplomatic channel a terror act: Kerala HC tells NIA whereas opposing Swapna Suresh bail plea

By PTI
KOCHI: Swapna Suresh and others dedicated a terrorist act by smuggling 167 kg of gold into India from UAE between November 2019 to June 2020 as they knew that doing so would threaten the safety and financial stability of the nation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has informed the Kerala High Court.

NIA has additionally informed the excessive court docket that Suresh and others, concerned within the smuggling of gold by way of diplomatic channels, had been additionally conscious that their actions would harm India’s relations with UAE and due to this fact, the offences beneath the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for terrorist act, conspiracy and being a part of a terror organisation are made out.

The company’s submissions had been made opposing the bail utility of Suresh, represented by advocate Sooraj T Elenjickal, who approached the excessive court docket in opposition to the NIA court docket order dismissing her plea for bail.

She has contended that the case in opposition to her won’t stand the take a look at of legislation and that the trial within the case was prolonging endlessly.

During the listening to on Friday earlier than a bench of Justices Ok Vinod Chandran and Ziyad RahmanA A, Elenjickal informed the court docket that his consumer has been in custody for over a 12 months.

The lawyer made the submission after the bench stated it was adjourning Suresh’s plea to July 29 when comparable pleas of another accused within the NIA case had been listed.

The pleas of Suresh and a few others had been adjourned by the bench to July 29 to await the choice of the Supreme Court in NIA’s attraction in opposition to the bail granted earlier by the trial court docket and the excessive court docket to a different batch of accused within the case.

Opposing Suresh’ bail plea, the company has alleged, “Investigation carried out by NIA has established that prime accused Sarith, co-accused Swapna Suresh and others, with the information that their act of smuggling of gold in to India in giant amount would threaten the safety and financial safety of the nation, destabilize the Indian financial system and harm the pleasant relations with UAE, conjointly dedicated the terrorist act.

” NIA has additionally alleged that for committing the terrorist act, the accused had conspired collectively, recruited folks, fashioned a terrorist group, raised funds and smuggled round 167 kg of gold from UAE between November 2019 to June 2020 by way of import cargo addressed to the diplomats on the Consulate General of UAE at Thiruvananthapuram.

The company has additionally stated {that a} request beneath the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with UAE has been despatched to that nation for acquiring proof from there as “a major part of the transactions, especially funding through reverse hawala and purchase of smuggled gold, had occurred in UAE”.

It has contended that launch of the accused, together with Suresh, on bail would critically hamper the continuing investigation within the case as they may tamper with the proof and affect the witnesses.

“Further the appellant (Suresh) has high connections both within the country as well as abroad, which will be used to abscond from the process of law,” NIA has claimed.

In her plea, Suresh has contended that she was falsely implicated in it and she or he has been granted bail within the customs and PMLA instances associated to the exact same alleged prison exercise of gold smuggling.

The bail functions of seven accused within the case, together with Suresh, Ok T Ramees, Sandeep Nair and P S Sarith, had been dismissed by the NIA Special court docket on March 22.

Various central investigating companies are probing the gold smuggling case after almost 15 kg of gold was seized at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5 final 12 months from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate there.

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