KOCHI: An NIA special court on Monday dismissed the bail plea of Swapna Suresh and 7 others in the case over the alleged gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel. The order accepted the prosecution's argument that there was clear evidence that the defendants smuggled gold, found people for it and deposited money. The trial court also considered the High Court's assessment that the involvement of the main accused in the case was different from that of the other accused.

The court accepted the prosecution's contention that Swapna, Rameez and Sarith were the main accused and that they played a crucial role in the conspiracy. The role of the accused in the crime is clear at first glance. The argument that the case is politically motivated cannot be accepted, the court said.

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 in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.

It is being probed by Enforcement Directorate (ED), National Investigative Agency (NIA) and Customs department. During the probe of the Kerala gold smuggling case, the dollar smuggling case came to light. The case pertains to the smuggling of $1.9 lakh by UAE Consulate employee and Egyptian national Khalid Ali Shoukry through the Thiruvananthapuram airport in August 2019.