Key accused in Kerala gold smuggling case gets bail in customs case

A court here on Wednesday (September 16) granted bail with stringent conditions to a key accused in the gold smuggling case in Kerala.

K T Ramees was granted bail by the special court (Economic Offences) in the case registered by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate.

The Customs had alleged that smuggled gold was sold in Kerala and outside the state through a well-established channel in which Ramees is a key member.

However, Ramees will continue to remain behind bars as he is facing the NIA investigation into the alleged terror link in the gold smuggling case.

Granting bail, the court directed the accused to execute a bond of Rs 2,00,000 with two solvent sureties each for the like sum and the sureties shall produce their original title deeds for verification.

He shall appear before the Investigating officer on all Mondays between 10 and 11 am for a period of three months or till filing of final report whichever is earlier, the court said.

It also directed the accused to surrender his passport within a period of seven days or file an affidavit to the effect that he is not possessing a passport.

The petitioner shall cooperate with the investigation, the court said in its bail order.

Ramees, arrested by the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate on July 11 in connection with the case, was described by the Central agencies as one of the “kingpins” of the gold smuggling case in which former employees of the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, Swapna Suresh and Sarith P Sare key accused.

Ramees was later arrested by the NIA.

Central agencies, including the NIA, Customs and Enforcement Directorate, are conducting a separate probe into the seizure of gold worth nearly Rs 15 crore from a “diplomatic baggage” at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport on July 5.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Federal staff and is auto-published from a syndicated feed.)