Kerala on political boil sparked by gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh’s revelations
8 min read
By Express News Service
PALAKKAD: Kerala is on a political boil after Swapna Suresh, one of many accused within the sensational gold smuggling case of 2016, via diplomatic channel, alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his relations have hyperlinks to the case.
In a press release earlier than a Justice of the Peace in Ernakulam underneath Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), on June 6, Swapna linked Vijayan, his relations, former minister KT Jaleel
and IAS officers to the case. The revelations triggered widespread anti-government protests within the state.
A day later, Swapna was booked by the Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram on fees of rioting and legal conspiracy. Kerala Janapaksham chief and former MLA P C George was additionally arraigned because the second accused within the FIR registered based mostly on the criticism of Tavanur MLA Okay T Jaleel, who was amongst these named by Swapna.
Protestors demand Kerala CM #PinarayiVijayan’s resignation within the gold smuggling case.https://t.co/dISMlkObbX
— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) June 10, 2022
Jaleel filed the criticism alleging that Swapna entered right into a legal conspiracy with George to defame him, the CM and his household. The former minister, whom Swapna had accused of getting a task in gold smuggling, additionally mentioned she made derogatory statements and ran a pretend marketing campaign to defame him and disrupt peace and stability within the state.
The instances had been registered underneath Sections 120B (legal conspiracy) and 153 (wantonly giving provocation with an intent to trigger riot) of the IPC on the idea of the authorized opinion from the deputy director of prosecution. The police headquarters in a communique mentioned a particular group led by a senior officer will deal with the probe. Both fees are bailable. Jaleel’s criticism got here shut on the heels of CPM leaders’ response that there have been conspiracies to malign the CM and the federal government.
On June 7, PS Sarith, the primary accused in diplomatic channel gold smuggling case, was forcefully taken away by 4 unknown individuals from his flat at Piruvusala close to Chandranagar at round 9.45 am.
The incident occurred barely quarter-hour after the important thing accused within the case Swapna Suresh made some revelations to the media. Later it was revealed that the vililance authorities had taken Sarith into custody. He was launched at 2.40 pm after three-and-a-half hours of interrogation.
At 11.15 am, Swapna Suresh who reached the workplace of Highrange Rural Development Society (HRDS) in Chandranagar reacted angrily to the media, alleging that Sarith was kidnapped from the flat by a four-member gang. When media individuals identified that it was Vigilance who had taken Sarith into custody she objected to the best way wherein he was whisked away by individuals who had been in civil gown.
Swapna mentioned principal secretary M Sivashankar was the fifth accused within the Life Mission case, whereas she was the sixth accused. “Sarith is only the seventh accused in the case. The Vigilance should have taken Sivasankar and me into custody before taking Sarith into custody. The police did not serve any notice and Sarith was not even allowed to take his mobile phone,” she mentioned.
“This is a dirty game. Politics is a dirty game. Will the vigilance come and take away Sivashankar in the same manner,” requested Swapna.
Though the incident occurred underneath the bounds of Palakkkad south police station, the cops on the native station had no details about the incident. They launched an investigation after Swapna Suresh complained that Sarith was kidnapped by 4 individuals from the flat. The police checked the CCTV footage from the flat at 11.45 am to establish the individuals who took away Sarith.
In the CCTV footage Sarith was discovered boarding the automobile together with the 4 individuals with none resistance. The safety personnel on the flat additionally confirmed that 4 individuals had arrived and Sarith had left with them.
Meanwhile, the police revealed that it was the Palakkad unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau which had taken away Sarith. The vigilance officers mentioned they’d gone to the flat to serve a discover to Sarith. As he refused to simply accept they’d taken him to the workplace. The discover was served asking him to look earlier than the Vigilance division in Thiruvananthapuram for interrogation within the Life Mission case on June 16.
On June 9, Leader of Opposition VD Satheesan mentioned the Congress didn’t belief both Central or state companies investigating the revelations made by Swapna Suresh. “A High Court monitored probe is needed to bring out the truth,” he mentioned in an unique chat with TNIE as a part of the Express Dialogues collection in Kochi.
Satheesan mentioned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan himself had invited Central companies to probe the case. “However, the agencies stopped the probe when it reached the CMO. After Swapna gave a confession statement under Section 108 of the Customs Act, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stopped the investigation,” he mentioned. Satheesan additionally termed the allegations by Swapna {that a} bag of foreign money was despatched to Dubai in the course of the CM’s go to in 2016 as ‘serious’.
Meanwhile, Swapna Suresh got here out with one other allegation saying that Shaj Kiran, an acquaintance who met her in Palakkad claiming to be a messenger of Pinarayi Vijayan, had warned of police harassment if she didn’t withdraw her assertion given in court docket underneath Section 164 of CrPC.
She mentioned she feared torture if she had been to be arrested. “The vigilance had behaved in a cinematic and high-handed style while picking up Sarith from his flat and it is only natural to fear the consequences,” Swapna mentioned after the High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea moved by PS Sarith and herself. She mentioned, in her part 164 assertion, she neither supposed to defame anybody nor has she indulged in any conspiracy.
She mentioned Kiran had requested her to withdraw her court docket assertion and warned her two days in the past that Sarith could be taken into custody. “And that is what happened. It was Shaj Kiran who informed me that vigilance officials had picked up Sarith from the flat. He also said that Sarith will be released within an hour,” she mentioned.
Swapna admitted that Kiran was certainly one of her good associates and confidants, a relationship that continued until Wednesday morning. “Kiran acted as a mediator. He repeatedly asked me to withdraw the 164 statement given to the court. He pressured me and tortured me psychologically from Wednesday afternoon to evening, and again on Thursday morning. Kiran said that one Nikesh Kumar would meet me and I should give my mobile phone to him. He said Nikesh Kumar was the ‘tongue and voice’ of the chief minister. Shaj wanted me to discuss the matter with him and withdraw the statement,” Swapna mentioned.
During the course of the dialog between Swapna Suresh and Shaj Kiran, the ADGPs of legislation and order and vigilance had been continually in contact, she mentioned. “They made 56 WhatsApp calls to Kiran’s phone and sought updates. But I don’t know any of the police officers personally,” she mentioned.Swapna mentioned she had acquainted Shaj Kiran via M Sivasankar, the previous principal secretary within the chief minister’s workplace. Swapna mentioned the voice clip of the dialog with Shaj Kiran is with the lawyer and it is going to be launched on Friday, and everybody might be satisfied of the negotiations that came about.
Shaj Kiran, who was a journalist with Malayalam information channels until 2016 and is now an actual property agent, has refuted Swapna Suresh’s allegation that he threatened her after she gave a confidential assertion saying that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and his household had been concerned within the gold smuggling case. Shaj informed reporters in Kochi on Thursday that Swapna is his shut good friend.
Swapna had performed an audio of the dialog between her and Shaj earlier than the media.
“Shaj asked me whether I knew who I was playing with? He told me that (CM Pinarayi) will never be able to bear it if you drag his daughter’s name into the matter,” she informed media individuals who had gathered on the premises of HRDS, her workplace. Swapna alleged that Kiran persuaded her to withdraw her secret assertion from the court docket. “Once you listen to the audio clip, you can decide for yourself,” Swapna mentioned earlier than the one-hour-long audio was performed out.
Most of the dialog within the audio revolved round Kiran’s tall claims about his proximity to political leaders and Swapna’s reactions to them. In the voice clip, Kiran was heard telling her, quoting some on-line media, that the funds of the CM and CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had been being transferred to the US via the channel of the Believers church.
‘Shaj & I had no differences until a couple of days ago’
Once the audio was launched, Swapna mentioned the “No. 1’’ referred to by Shaj within the dialog was Chief Minister Pinarayi. But when requested what the proof of the connection between Shaj and the CM was, Swapna mentioned it was for the media to analyze and that she didn’t have any proof to show it.
Swapna insisted that she launched the voice clip to point out that she didn’t have something to cover and was not a part of any conspiracy.
Reacting angrily to the reported assertion of Shaj that he had some obscene movies of her, Swapna mentioned it was one of many best methods to assault a girl. However, Swapna admitted that it was she who known as Shaj after Sarith went lacking on June 8. “We had no personal differences until a couple of days ago. However, he had been torturing me mentally since afternoon (of June 8), forcing me to withdraw the 164 statement,” Swapna mentioned.
Shaj, 36, labored as a journalist with numerous Malayalam TV information channels earlier than he stop the occupation in 2016. His final stint as a journalist was with Congress-owned Jai Hind TV. After ending his journalism profession and shortly after his second marriage, he forayed into numerous companies.
As per the main points obtainable, there are 5 corporations registered underneath his directorship. All these corporations are based mostly in Kochi, which had been registered between March and May 2019. The corporations are Syamambharam Enterprises India Private Limited, Twenty Okay Agritech Private Limited, Springever Enterprises Private Limited, Primegro Agritech Private Limited and Famigo Agritec Private Limited.
As per the Registrar of Companies information, these corporations have been within the enterprise of “wholesale and commission trades, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles”. People near Shaj mentioned he primarily labored as an actual property agent. After Covid hit the true property sector badly, his enterprise went right into a downward spiral. He is energetic on Facebook and steadily posts images of his vehicles.
Surrogacy angle
Swapna additionally admitted that she had agreed to be the surrogate mom after realising the plight of Shaj’s spouse. “I had agreed to be a surrogate mother, with the knowledge of his family members, if my health permitted. I know the pain of mothers who cannot bear a child and I offered my help,” Swapna mentioned.
Shaj had earlier mentioned he had requested Swapna to be the surrogate mom of his youngster as he needed a woman youngster who appeared like her. “We had additionally determined to call her Vaiga,’’ he mentioned.
Shaj Kiran who’s now hogging headlines for allegedly threatening Swapna Suresh, key accused within the 2020 gold smuggling case, is a former journalist based mostly in Kochi. His father and mom are from Kottarakkara. The household had lived in Tiruvalla throughout his childhood.
Vigilance chief sacked
ADGP MR Ajith Kumar was faraway from the submit of vigilance chief on Friday following the CM’s order. The transfer got here after it was discovered that Kumar had been in contact with Shaj Kiran who allegedly tried to compel Swapna Suresh to withdraw her fees in opposition to the CM.
