Vivek Rawat v. Superintendent of Customs,

ORDER The petitioner, who was arrested and remanded to judicial custody on

10.12.2025, for the alleged offence punishable under Sections 132 and 135 of the Customs Act 1962, in O.S. No.80 of 2015 on the file of the respondent police, seeks bail.

¶2The allegation against the petitioner is that the petitioner was working as Cabin Supervisor of Emirates Airlines and while he was involved in the operation of flight number EK 544 from Dubai to Chennai, he hidden gold paste in his Chest and waist and wore it, and was about to land at Chennai. On suspicion, his body was searched, and 9,460 grams of gold with 24-carat purity was recovered by the respondent. Thereafter, summons were issued, statements were recorded, and after recording his statement, he was arrested.

¶3Learned counsel appearing for the petitioner submitted that the petitioner acted as per the instructions of A2, and it is alleged that A2 handed over the gold with instructions to pass it to some other accused. After recording the statement, all the accused were arrested, and the major part of the investigation is concluded. Hence, he prayed for grant of bail to the petitioner.

¶4Mr.K Purushothaman, learned Special Public Prosecutor appearing on behalf of the respondent submitted that it is not a simple case of smuggling of gold, it is a serious security threat, and since he is a crew member, he has privileges of easily entering into the flight, he has hidden the gold paste in his Chest and Waist vest and successfully brought it to Chennai from Dubai. He further submitted that if the petitioner is released on bail, there is likelihood that he would abscond, and already his family is also settled at Dubai. He further submitted that the value of the gold seized in this case is more than 10 crores, and further investigation is going on. Hence, he opposed for grant of bail to the petitioner.

¶5I have gone through the records and connected materials; this is not a simple case of gold smuggling by an passenger. The petitioner herein is a crew member. It is a case of hiding the gold in his waist and successfully able to brought it to Chennai. He was intercepted and the huge quantity of gold was recovered, I am of the view that if the petitioner is released on bail, it would hamper the investigation. Hence, this court is not inclined to grant bail to the petitioner. Accordingly, this criminal original petition is dismissed. 29-01-2026 Mpa Index:Yes/No Speaking/Non-speaking order Internet:Yes To

1.Superintendent of Customs, RSI Unit, New Customs House, Meenambakkam Chennai-600 016

2.The Public Prosecutor, High Court, Madras. K.RAJASEKAR J. mpa CRL OP No. 1555 of 2026

29-01-2026

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS DATED: 29-01-2026 CORAM THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE K.RAJASEKAR 1. Vivek Rawat S/o. Surendra Rawat, Raghu Niwas, Namak Katra, Near Surjeet School, Bharatpur, Rajasthan-321 001 Petitioner(s) Vs 1. Superintendent of Customs, RSI Unit, New Customs House, Meenambakkam Chennai-600 016 Respondent(s) PRAYER to enlarge the Petitioner on bail in O.S.No.802025 INT (AIR) on the file of the Superintendent of Custom, RSI Unit, New Customs House,Meenambakkam, Chennai-600 016 and thus render justice. For Petitioner(s): M/s.A. Ganesh For Respondent(s): Mr K Purushothaman, Spl Public Prosecutor