Swapna Suresh had close relationship with UAE Consulate: NIA

In its counter filed against the bail plea of Kerala gold smuggling accused Swapna Suresh, the NIA said that she was paid $1,000 a month after resigning from the UAE consulate, an indication of her close relationship with the Consulate.

Kochi (Thiruvananthapuram):Opposing the bail plea of Swapna Suresh, the main accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, the National Investigation Agency on Thursday said that she had a close relationship with the UAE consulate.

In a counter filed against the bail application moved by Suresh before a special court, the National Investigation Agency, probing the sensational case, said that she enjoyed influence both in the office of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the UAE Consulate.

The NIA said that Suresh was paid $1,000 a month after resigning from the UAE consulate, an indication of her close relationship with the Consulate.

In her plea, Suresh alleged she was implicated in the crime on a wild imagination without any basis and the case was an offshoot of the "political rivalry" between the state and central governments, triggered by the colourful and fictitious stories aired by the media. She claimed there was no prima facie evidence to attract an offence under Sections 15, 16 and 17 of UAPA.

Read:ED gets custody of Kerala gold smuggling suspects

Suresh and Sandeep Nair were arrested from Bengaluru on July 11 by the NIA. So far ten people have been arrested by it in the case, which also led to the suspension of senior IAS officer M Sivasankar after allegations about his links to Suresh surfaced.

The case related to seizure of gold worth nearly Rs 15 crore from a "diplomatic baggage" at the Thiruvananthapuram International airport on July 5.

(With inputs from agencies)