The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Front government in Kerala has been stung yet again by Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the high-profile, multi-crore gold smuggling case.
On Thursday, in a live session on Facebook from Bengaluru, Suresh claimed that the ruling CPI(M) offered her Rs 30 crore through a middleman to hand them over all the evidence against the Kerala chief minister and his family and leave the state. She also alleged that CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan even threatened to finish her off if she refused the offer.
Suresh alleged that the intermediary named Vijesh Pillai came to meet her at a hotel in Whitefield in Bengaluru in the guise of an interview.
Suresh said that Pillai named Govindan. “It was basically a settlement talk followed by a threat,” she said. Pillai told her that she should leave Bengaluru for either Haryana or Jaipur.
“He wants me to hand over all details regarding the CM, his wife, daughter, son and additional private secretary C M Raveendran. If I refuse, he said my life will be in danger. It was a clear case of death threat and he gave me one week to respond,” she claimed.
Suresh has formally filed a complaint and informed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) about the death threat. She also said she sought police protection in Bengaluru.
“I will give the full details such as photographs of the person to the media. I am not going to run away from Bengaluru. Please pray for my life,” Suresh added.
Making a personal appeal to CM Vijayan to not resort to “such tactics,” she said, “I am not ready to compromise. This is not just a fight for me. I will fight it till my last breath.”
She also said she was not ready for any settlement and will share all details with the investigating agencies.
Commenting on the allegations, BJP
Govindan denies allegations
Meanwhile, Govindan in a Facebook post on Friday morning said that he did not know Pillai while denying the allegations levelled by Suresh against him.
“There are no Pillais in Kannur. How did Vijesh Koiloth become Vijesh Pillai? Only those who come and settle in the district from outside use this surname,” he said. …
“I don’t take Swapna’s accusation at face value. While preparing a script, the writer should prepare a believable, serious one. What’s the point of making a script that collapses after the first minute?
“I have the courage to file a case not once but a thousand times. It will be dealt with legally. They claim to have some information. They have nothing. We don’t need to approach anyone to hide anything. Whatever they have to explain, let them explain,” Govindan said.
Earlier in October 2022, Suresh claimed that the Kerala CM is making projects in the state for his daughter Veena Vijayan and for the future generations of his family under the pretext of development.
Gold Scam unearthed in 2020
The gold scam came out in the open in July 2020 when customs officials recovered 30 kg of gold from baggage meant for the UAE consulate in Thiruvananthapuram. Suresh, 40, was released in November 2021 after 16 months of imprisonment for alleged involvement in the scam. She was taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with another accused Sandeep Nair from Bengaluru.