Finally, the main suspect in the Thiruvananthapuram Airport gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh has broken her silence in an audio message, saying she had no role to play in the matter. She has been on the run ever since the details of the case emerged.
Ruling out her role in the whole smuggling saga, Swapna said, “All what I did was when I was asked by the Consulate on the delay in the baggage getting cleared, I spoke to the Customs. All I did was that, and I have no idea from where the baggage came and what its contents were and such details. The loss in the present controversy is for me and my family and I am in hiding because of fear. I am on the verge of committing suicide as I am being taken to task and I have nothing to do with this smuggling.”
“When I was working in the UAE Consulate, my role was to facilitate the administration of the Consular General. My job demanded me to meet many people in power. Whenever VVIPS from UAE came, I also facilitated their visit in Kerala and four other states. That was my job,” said Swapna.
However, nobody is taking her statement on face value. Opposition parties alleged that the statements made by Swapna were under pressure from CPI(M) leaders to control the damage caused by the controversy. Even as more details come out, Swapna’s links with ministers and senior CPI(M) leaders, who happens to be close to the ruling Left Democratic Front government in the state, was holding a high paying job and was very close to senior IAS officer M. Sivasankar, Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and also the state’s IT Secretary. As a quick damage control exercise, Vijayan has shown the exit door to Sivasankar and removed him from both the posts. But the Congress and the BJP have intensified their protests and have asked Vijayan to quit and face the probe. The social media is also flooded with pictures of Swapna where she is seen in the company of Vijayan, and other top brass of the CPI(M), including Kerala Assembly Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan.
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