Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Mahendra Shah and his son Megh Shah in connection with a Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) case involving a Rs 109 crore seizure of alleged smuggled gold and luxury items from their flat in Ahmedabad.In March 2025, officials of DRI and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) searched the premises in Paldi and recovered 882 gold bars, gold jewellery, watches, watch belts, a mobile phone and Indian currency with a total value of Rs 109.3 crore.The prosecution alleged the flat had been rented by Megh months earlier and that the father-son duo failed to appear despite multiple summons issued under Section 108 of the Customs Act, leading to complaints under BNSS provisions and issuance of look out circulars. Investigators claimed the applicants left India for Dubai via Nepal and later participated only after interim protection was granted by the Supreme Court.The accused’s advocates, Jal Unwalla and Siddharth Kheshkani, submitted that though the offence alleged is punishable with imprisonment of less than seven years, the authorities did not issue notice under BNSS provisions in accordance with the law.After the hearing, Justice Sanjeev Thaker granted anticipatory bail on a Rs 10,000 bond each with sureties, subject to conditions including cooperation, non-tampering, travel restrictions, passport deposit and mandatory appearance before the authority on Oct 7.
