KOCHI: High Court said that using family members coming from Gulf for smuggling gold cannot be seen lightly. The observation is on the order of Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas, who granted bail to the wife of the accused couple in the case of smuggling gold worth Rs 1.20 crore through Karipur Airport.

According to the Customs Act, no bail will be given if gold worth more than one crore rupees is smuggled. The single bench said this in a situation where gold is distributed among family members to circumvent this condition. The High Court said that gold smuggling affects the economy of the country and it should be stopped.

The bail application of Sharafuddin and his wife Shamina, a native of Kozhikode Koduvalli, who smuggled gold through Karipur, was being considered. They were arrested on May 18. 950 grams of gold in four capsules from Sharafuddin's rectum and 1198 grams of gold from Shamina's underwear were seized.

It was also stated in the Customs High Court that they smuggled gold on the instructions of Amjad Mihran, a person who smuggles gold to India using family members. Customs argued that the use of family members was to understate the value of gold seized from each individual and that bail should not be granted.

However, Shamina was granted bail considering the argument that the accused have four children and the youngest child is only four years old. A bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties in like amount were given. There are also conditions such as not leaving Kerala without the permission of the court, not destroying evidence or influencing witnesses, and appearing when asked by the investigating officer. The investigating team made Amjad Mihran the first accused in the case.