Gold smuggling case: Kerala HC posts Swapna Suresh's bail plea to July 16

The Kerala High Court has posted the bail petition of Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case, to July 16.

Suresh had earlier approached the Kerala HC in order to seek bail. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) that registered the case had denied bail to her and the six others attached in the gold smuggling case.

She has since challenged the verdict of the NIA court dismissing her earlier bail plea.

The court has asked the NIA to file an affidavit before July 16.

On March 28, Suresh had revealed that the State Assembly Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan used to call her to his flat with "personal dirty intentions", according to a document submitted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Kerala High Court.

She had said, "Sreeramakrishnan had called me to the flat in Marutham apartment and told me that it was his hideout. I went there along with Sarith (another accused in the gold smuggling case) to meet him. He told me about the flat's real ownership to convince me to feel safe as he used to call me there with some personal dirty intentions."

"As I didn't agree to his personal interests, the role offered to me in the Middle East College was also dropped. He always kept trying to get close to me as he needed the help of consul-general for his personal affairs in the UAE," she had alleged further in her affidavit.

Swapna had also given this statement before the ED Deputy Director, Kochi, on December 16, 2020, at Women's Jail in Attakulangara, Thiruvananthapuram.

The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

It is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, NIA and the customs department.

( With inputs from ANI )