Kerala gold scam: Accused Swapna Suresh says she 'will not withdraw Section 164 statement'
"No matter how many more cases come up against me, I"ll not withdraw my 164 statement. The CM is strongly connected with Shaj Kiran. They sent him to my office and now they"ve registered another case against me," Swapna said.
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Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the Kerala gold smuggling case on Tuesday claimed that Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is strongly connected with former journalist Shaj Kiran. Suresh had earlier said that she was threatened by Kiran to withdraw the statement made against CM Vijayan.
"No matter how many more cases come up against me, I'll not withdraw my 164 statement. The CM is strongly connected with Shaj Kiran. They sent him to my office and now they've registered another case against me," Swapna said.
She further stated that she will remind the Kerala CM that he knows her.
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"Kerala CM had said that he didn't know me. CM and I, his wife, his daughter and son sat at Cliff House and discussed many matters and made decisions. If CM has forgotten all that now, I'll remind him and his family through you (media) as the opportunity arises," she said.
Swapna had on Tuesday gave a confidential statement under section 164 (recording of confessions and statements) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) alleging the CM’s involvement.
The Kerala gold smuggling case pertains to the smuggling of gold in the state through diplomatic channels. It had come to light after 30 kg gold worth Rs 14.82 crore smuggled in a consignment camouflaged as diplomatic baggage was busted by the customs department in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5, 2019.
Suresh alleged that in 2016, M Sivasankar, the former Principal Secretary to the Kerala CM, had asked her to send baggage to Dubai which belonged to Vijayan. However, when the bag was brought to the consulate, it was found that it contained currencies and the entire gold smuggling business had begun from then.
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