Thiruvananthapuram: As the central agencies intensify their probe into the gold smuggling case, an earlier case involving top accused Swapna Suresh and her likely links with two police officers who helped her are also under the scanner.
Even as the smuggling operations came to light early this month and Swapna was made the second accused in the case, she was already being probed by the Crime Branch in a forgery case. The latter case has its origins in a harassment case Swapna had filed against her superior at the Air India SATS, a 50:50 joint venture between the national airline company and SATS Limited for ground-handling services.
Air India SATS former vice-president Binoy Jacob is the first accused in the case. L S Sibu, Air India officers' association leader, was also targeted by Swapna after he filed a complaint to the central government and Vigilance Commission alleging corruption at the Air India SATS.
A probe revealed that she had forged signatures of 16 female employees to implicate Binoy. Though Sibu complained against this, the preliminary probe was in favour of Swapna. Then a court-ordered Crime Branch probe was initiated, but the officers were also found to be supporting Swapna.
Whenever Swapna was called in for interrogation, an officer in the DGP rank and a former DGP had frequently telephoned the higher-ups in the Crime Branch, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has found.
The case was reported soon after Swapna had joined the JV.
The NIA is also likely to make a detailed probe into the appointments made at the SATS when Swapna was employed there.
As reported earlier, Swapna had changed jobs often. Before joining the Space Park of the Kerala IT Department, she was employed with the Air India SATS and the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram.
The role of gunman?
Both the Customs and the NIA are also probing if Jayaghosh, gunman at the UAE Consulate, had any role in the gold smuggling case. His appointment as the gunman and the extension he was given there are also under scrutiny.
The NIA had found that Jayaghosh was closely associated with Swapna and P S Sarith, another accused who was her ex-colleague at the Consulate.
Jayaghosh was also in the vehicle along with the accused when they arrived at the Air Cargo Complex of the Trivandrum International Airport to get the diplomatic baggage that contained the smuggled gold, NIA suspects.
A multi-agency probe was initiated after the Customs seized 30kg gold from a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram on July 5.
He was found with his wrist slashed last weekend after he went missing overnight. Customs believe he staged his disappearance and suicide attempt in a desperate bid to cover up his involvement in the smuggling case. Bank accounts belonging to Jayaghosh and his close relatives are under scrutiny.
