Kerala gold smuggling case: Special court sends Swapna Suresh to 4-day NIA custody

Kochi: A special NIA court in Kochi on Tuesday sent Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the high-profile Kerala gold smuggling case, to four-day custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning.

The court also allowed Suresh to see her relatives during the custody period. During the hearing, Suresh informed the court that she does not have any health issues now.

Meantime, an Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Economic Offences) court granted default bail to the accused Sandeep Nair in the gold smuggling case being probed by the Customs department.

The bail was granted as the Customs did not file a charge sheet within the stipulated period of 60 days. However, Nair will continue to remain in prison as he is also accused in the case, which has invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the matter.

According to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), an accused is entitled to default bail if a charge sheet is not filed within 60-90 days as per the offence, however, for UAPA cases, agencies have 180 days to file a charge sheet.