Thiruvananthapuram: The travails of a whistleblower -- an Air India official -- found some relief on Friday when the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh, was arrested by the Crime Branch in a fabricated sexual harassment case against the official.
Swapna presently cooling her heels in a jail here in the gold smuggling case was produced in the court online by the Crime Branch police probing the case of Air India official L.S.Sibu.
Read:| Gold smuggling case: NIA seizes Rs 1 crore, 1 kg gold from Swapna Suresh's bank lockers
It all started when Sibu, a union leader of Air India -- working as Officer-Apron in the Ground Services Department, Trivandrum in 2014, -- brought to the attention of the CBI, the Central Vigilance Commission and the Prime Minister about financial irregularities at Trivandrum Airport.
Sibu's life took a turn for the worse when he was transferred to Hyderabad effective April 2015.
Incidentally, it was after a few years of a legal battle the Kerala High Court directed Air India to reinstate him in July 2018, after which he has been posted at Hyderabad.
The Kerala High Court in a separate order had directed the Crime Branch Police to conduct a detailed probe into the fabricated sexual harassment case against Sibu.
The Crime Branch probe revealed that apart from the complaint of 17 female employees at Air India SATS, here, there were two other forged complaints against him, which was sent to the top officials of Air India. It was based on these complaints that Sibu was transferred to Hyderabad.
Read:| Gold smuggling: NIA takes accused to their residence for evidence collection
Swapna Suresh was employed at Air India SATS and she left the job in 2015 after the police began their first probe based on a complaint from Sibu.
It was only after the now controversial gold smuggling case took a turn and the NIA arrested the prime accused Swapna Suresh, did Sibu get relief.
The Crime Branch investigation unearthed evidence against Swapna Suresh of being a key accused in the fabricated sexual harassment case and the coming days, the Crime Branch will reveal who all were behind her.
Despite numerous pleas by Sibu, his wife and daughter, Air India officials continued to maintain stoic silence and Sibu was suspended in August last year, because he spoke to the media, soon after the gold smuggling case took centre stage.
Later he was reinstated end of December last year and is at present on leave.
IANS
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