Kochi (Kerala): In a major development, Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala Gold smuggling case on Thursday claimed that a person has threatened her on the instructions of the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Swapna and another accused in the case, Sarith PS also filed anticipatory bail pleas in Kerala High Court.
According to Swapna, on June 8, a person named Shaji Kiran came to her office at Palakkad around 1.30 pm. He is a person who was introduced to her by Sivasankar stating that he is a person who is very close to CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Kodiyeri Balakrishnan. "Shaji Kiran, being one of the Directors of Gospel for Asia, an organisation of KP Yohannan, is the person who is handling the investment of the Chief Minister as well as Kodiyeri Balakrishnan abroad.
He informed the petitioners (Swapna and Sarith) that he has come on the instruction of Pinarayi Vijayan so as to settle the issue created by the first petitioner by giving 164 statements", stated Swapna's complaint. As per information, Shaji Kiran came to the office in a Toyota vehicle bearing registration No. UP-41 R 0500. "Shaji Kiran started pressurising the petitioners to surrender before the Chief Minister", alleged Swapna and Sarith.
"He informed that already a case has been registered against the Swapna and if they do not surrender before the Chief Minister by openly stating that she has given 164 statement at the instigation of the RSS and BJP, he threatened the petitioners with dare consequences to the effect that they will not see daylight as cases will be registered against them in such a way they will have to remain in jail for long," alleged Swapna and Sarith in their plea.
"Shaji Kiran also informed the petitioners that, though the case has been only against the Swapna and though the offences registered against them are only 153 and 120 B of IPC, they will include more charges and the Sarith will also be included as an accused the police will take both of them into custody and will be remanded to judicial custody," added the plea.
Swapna Suresh on Tuesday revealed that she has declared in court the involvement of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife and daughter in the matter.
Also Read: 'Political agenda': Kerala CM rebuts Swapna Suresh's allegations in Gold smuggling case
"I have already given 164 statements in court about a threat to my life. I have declared in court about all the people involved in this case. I have also filed a petition seeking protection in court. They are considering it. I have declared in the court about what is the involvement of M Sivasankar (then principal secretary to Kerala CMO), the Chief Minister, CM's wife Kamala, CM's daughter Veena, his secretary CM Raveendran, then Chief Secretary Nalini Netto IAS, then minister KT Jaleel," she said.
Swapna claimed that baggage containing currency was sent to Vijayan when he was in Dubai in 2016.
Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the sensational gold smuggling in the diplomatic bags case, and co-accused Sarith P S on Thursday moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the case lodged by police on the complaint of a ruling LDF MLA's complaint alleging conspiracy behind her revelations against him, the Chief Minister and his family.
The joint plea of Suresh and Sarith states that only the former is an accused in the case and the offences allegedly committed by her are bailable, but she believes that Chief Minister Vijayan was out to get them in custody to allegedly coerce her into withdrawing her statement made under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Also Read: Let me live: Gold Smuggling accused Swapna Suresh over controversies surrounding new job
Suresh had told media persons on Wednesday that she only disclosed before the court -- in her statement under Section 164 of CrPC -- the other people allegedly involved in the smuggling cases and their "degrees of involvement". She said she gave the statement as there were threats to her life and if something happened to her or her family members, she may not have the courage to come forward and speak about the case.
It also claims that he pressured Suresh and Sarith to surrender before the CM and to give a statement that what she deposed before court was at the instigation of her lawyers, RSS and BJP. He also allegedly threatened them with dire consequences if they do not do as he has instructed, the petition further claimed. Hours after the plea was filed in the High Court, Shaji Kiran came on a TV channel and claimed that Suresh was his friend and he did not pressurise her to withdraw the 164 statement.
In the anticipatory bail plea, Suresh has also contended that her sharing some information with the media about her Section 164 statement given before a court of law will not qualify as a provocation with intent to cause a riot, an offence she is accused of. She has also said that her 10-year-old son is alone at her residence in Palakkad and therefore, if she is arrested and taken into custody for questioning, there would be no one to look after him.
"So it is highly necessary in the interest of justice to see that the petitioners are not illegally arrested and taken into custody in the name of questioning as the intention is merely to harass them and coerce them to withdraw the statement given by the 1st petitioner (Suresh) under Section 164 of CrPC," the plea has said. After her revelations before the media, subsequent to recording her Section 164 statement, Vijayan had issued a statement dismissing Suresh's claims and allegations as "baseless".
Suresh, a former employee of the UAE Consulate here, was taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with another accused Sandeep Nair from Bengaluru on July 11, 2020. The NIA, Enforcement Directorate (ED), and Customs conducted separate probes into the racket that was busted with the seizure of gold worth Rs 15 crore from the diplomatic baggage of the UAE Consulate at Thiruvananthapuram airport on July 5, 2020.
Several people, including M Sivasankar and another ex-employee of the UAE Consulate here, Sarith, were arrested in connection with the case. (PTI)
