Thiruvananthapuram: Swapna Suresh, one of the main accused in the Trivandrum Airport gold smuggling case, was once an influential employee of the UAE Consulate and the Space Park of the Kerala government. Today, the high-flying UAE-bred woman is adjusting to a new way of life at a prison in the Kerala capital.
She has lost her privacy and shares a cell with a young woman accused of attempting to murder a relative.
Old images of her holding on to pricey smartphones were splashed across newspapers in Kerala recently. It was also reported she had gifted iPhones to her acolytes. Ironically, in prison she has been given permission to make a phone call just once a week! She can make the call only in the presence of Customs and jail personnel. These strict conditions are in line with the terms set for those arrested under the COFEPOSA (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act). Prisoners charged under other laws are allowed to call relatives three days a week.
Swapna is allowed to make phone calls only on Wednesdays. She has been allowed to make calls only to her mother, children and husband.
Customs must also be notified in advance about whom she intended to call. On Wednesdays, she can see close relatives in the presence of Customs officials.
Prison sources say Swapna has asked only for vegetarian food. She offers long prayers in the mornings and evenings at the Murugan Temple inside the jail.
In the early days of her imprisonment, Swapna had remained silent and would not talk to anyone. It is learnt that she was counselled. Her blood pressure was also reportedly high then.
Now, she also reads motivational books taken from the prison library. Since she has been sent Rs 1,000 from her home, she can buy snacks from the jail canteen.
CBI team checks iPhone
CBI team has reached Thiruvananthapuram to check the iPhone that was given as a gift by Unitac owner Santosh Eapen in return for the construction contract of the Life Mission project at Wadakkanchery.
Swapna had deposed that a new iPhone, bought from a Thiruvananthapuram shop, was gifted to the UAE Consul General who had expressed dislike for the model presented initially.
The CBI sought information from the store from where the smartphone was bought.
ED questions Swapna and Sandeep
The Enforcement Directorate meanwhile questioned Swapna and her co-accused Sandeep Nair in jail. Sandeep is lodged at the Poojappura jail, while Swapna is at the women’s jail at Attakulangara.
Four officers each questioned the two from 10 am to 6 pm on Tuesday. The court has allowed the ED to question them on Wednesday and Thursday also.
