The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has granted bail with conditions to two men who were arrested and remanded in judicial custody for smuggling gold into India from Sri Lanka through Nagapattinam coast.
Justice M. Dhandapani granted bail to the accused H. Mohammed Nawfal and A. Anifa Sahib. The two accused were arrested and remanded to judicial custody on December 1 last year. A case was registered under the Customs Act.
The case of the prosecution was that the officials of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Tiruchi had received information on November 29 that the accused had smuggled gold into India from Sri Lanka through Nagapattinam coast. The officials, who kept vigil at Thuvakudi toll plaza in Tiruchi intercepted the car and recovered the gold weighing about 7828.800 grams from the accused.
While the petitioners claimed that they did not commit any offence as alleged by the prosecution, the State submitted that statements were recorded from the accused during the inquiry and they had accepted their involvement and the same was corroborated by the messages and images voluntarily submitted by the accused.
The court took into account the period of incarceration and that there was no previous case pending against the petitioners and granted bail to the accused with conditions. The court directed the accused to appear before the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in Tiruchi everyday for four weeks and thereafter as and when required.
