Kerala gold smuggling case: Swapna Suresh claims she is receiving threat calls

04/07/2022

Kochi, Jul 3: Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case on Sunday said that she has been receiving threat calls for taking the names of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, his wife, and his daughter in the case pertaining to the seizure of 30 kilograms of 24-carat gold worth Rs 14.82 crores by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs at Thiruvananthapuram Airport on 5 July 2020.
"I don't know how long will I live. Threatening calls are being received since yesterday (Saturday). The callers also revealed their names and address...Their demand is to stop mentioning the names of the Chief Minister, his wife, daughter, and former minister KT Jaleel," Suresh said. Stating the aftermath of not agreeing to the demand of the threateners, she said, "I have been receiving strong warnings since yesterday that I will be 100 per cent eliminated from this world."
She alleged one Maradu Aneesh is threatening her and said that she has found many criminal cases in his name. "He is a dignified personality with a negative side. That is like a very strong warning to me.
I don't know if it's killing me for the way I'm going now, or for tomorrow. I don't know the way they are going to murder me," she added. She also accused the Crime Branch of charging a conspiracy to lodge case against her at the time of interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate.
"The agenda behind this is to avoid or prevent any further clarification of what the ED is questioning. A conspiracy case is being charged against me by the Crime Branch at the time of interrogation by a national agency (ED). I will co-operate with it...Interrogation is being continued. The crime branch is giving me a regular summons to disturb it," she said. "Neither Crime Branch nor others are allowed to cooperate with ED. I don't know how far will this go. Me, my son, my mother, and my family can be killed at any time. I don't know if I will be arrested and tortured by the crime branch or die in some other way because I am very sick, but as long as I am alive, I will cooperate with the ED, and confront it with maximum evidence and clarity," she added. "I sent a complaint to the Director-General of Police (DGP) yesterday along with the recordings and the screenshots, as it is clear in the conversation that 'for whom' were they calling and threatening me. I don't want to blame the system though but it is headed by the Chief Minister. I don't know how much help will I get. But people should know," she added further.
She also alleged that the Police, special branch, and locals were scaring the owner of her house. "If you want to kill, kill at once. A person named Naufal called me. He said that he was calling as per the instructions of KT Jaleel," she said.
Notably, the Crime Branch asked her to appear before the probe officials at the Kochi Police club on July 5. Thiruvanan-thapuram cantonment police have registered a case against Swapna on Jaleel's complaint on June 8 this year seeking a probe into the charges made by Swapna Suresh against him in the Gold Smuggling Case and alleged that she conspired and made defaming statements against him.
The police registered the case under Section 153 (wantonly giving provocation with an intent to cause riot) & Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) against her.
She skipped the interrogation earlier this week when the Crime Branch issued a notice by citing the reason for ED questioning in the gold smuggling case.
The prime accused in the gold smuggling case Swapna Suresh on Wednes-day said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had told lies in the Assembly on Tuesday and urged him to release CCTV visuals of Cliff House and Secretariat in view of the probe in the case. (ANI)

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