Kerala gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh slams bureaucrat M Sivasankar for his claims

Kerala gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh slams bureaucrat M Sivasankar for his claims

Swapna also said that Sivasankar was involved in her appointment at the Space Park. "He wrote my resume," she said.

Kerala gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh on Friday slammed top bureaucrat M Sivasankar for his claims made against her.

Senior IAS officer M Sivasankar, who is also one of the accused in the gold smuggling case, claimed in his book 'Aswathamavu Oru Aana' that Swapna trapped him by gifting him an iPhone, which later proved to be a major proof against him.

Sivasankar also said that they did not have any close relationship. Swapna, however, claimed that they were close and that he planned to settle down in Dubai after taking voluntary retirement.

She also alleged that Sivasankar was aware of what was inside the diplomatic baggage, adding that whatever she did while on the run from police was based on instructions from Sivasankar.

Swapna also said that former speaker Sreeramakrishnan was a family friend. They have met outside of official capacity. Earlier, the politician had claimed that he had misunderstood Swapna to be a diplomat and did not know much about her.

Swapna further said that Sivasankar was a daily visitor to her house and they used to travel together across states and abroad to Dubai.

She further alleged that Sivasankar planned the NIA involvement in the gold smuggling case to ensure that Swapna wouldn't speak out.

Swapna said that she has given other gifts to Sivasankar over time too and that he was using her to clean his reputation which isn't fair.

Swapna also said that she is now left listless after all the issue happened. "Things were calming down a bit when suddenly he came up with a book and disrupted my life," she said, adding that she will definitely react and she didn't know why Sivasankar decided on such a measure.

She also said that she would write an essay all if needed and that, while Sivasankar's book is small, her book on Sivasankar alone would be big.

Swapna also said that Sivasankar was involved in her appointment at the Space Park. "He wrote my resume," she said.

Swapna also said that even her husband Jayashankar has left her, now at the first opportunity, and now she only has the support of her mother and has two children to think about.

On July 5, customs officials at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport seized baggage containing gold weighing over 30 kg and valued at around Rs 15 crore. This gold was inside diplomatic baggage that landed by air cargo, and was addressed to the UAE consulate.

Customs officials acted based on a specific tip off by an informer that that baggage was part of a smuggling syndicate that was trying to misuse the name of a person who enjoys diplomatic immunity.

It was also learnt that the 30 kg smuggled gold was hidden inside baggage concealed in bathroom equipment and electronic devices.

Kerala gold smuggling case accused Swapna Suresh slams bureaucrat M Sivasankar for his claims
Kerala gold smuggling case: Prime accused Swapna Suresh released from jail after 14 months

Swapna Suresh is the main accused in this case. A former staffer at the UAE consulate, Swapna Suresh, was hired by a private firm to work on a project for Kerala IT department, which is under chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The CM's principal secretary, M Sivasankar, used to head this department.

Investigation so far has revealed that Swapna Suresh had contacts with powerful people in Kerala and made several calls to them in the run-up to the current case of gold smuggling.

WHO IS M SIVASANKAR?

He was CM Pinarayi Vijayan's principal secretary and headed the IT department under which Swapna Suresh was hired. Sivasankar was suspended and sacked from his post back in July 2020 after his name cropped up in an investigation.

Sivasankar's suspension, which would have ended in July 2021, was extended for another six months as he was arrested in the gold smuggling case. He was in jail for 98 days and was later released on bail on February 4, 2021.

However, the Kerala government has decided to reinstate him but his new post has not been revealed yet.

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