Gold smuggling case-accused Swapna Suresh on Thursday alleged that CPM state secretary M V Govindan issued a death threat through an intermediary if she refuses to accept Rs 30 crore to settle the case and vanish from the country.
She made the allegation during a scheduled Facebook Live.
If till now Swapna's allegations were mostly against the chief minister and his family, her first Facebook Live has dragged the CPM into the controversy for the first time.
Allegations of improper behaviour were hurled against senior party members and former ministers like T M Thomas Isaac and Kadakampally Surendran but the party as a whole was spared.
Swapna has also claimed that the intermediary, Vijay Pillai a Kannur native, threatened her to not drag a noted industrialist into the case. "I'm a domestic flyer due to my health issues. They know this. Vijay Pillai said the industrialist could sneak in contrabands or drugs into my baggage to trap me," Swapna said.
Swapna said she was summoned to Bengaluru by Vijay on the pretext of an interview. "It was basically a settlement talk. They have given me a week to respond," Swapna said.
According to her, the intermediary was acting on behalf of Govindan. "They want me to go to Haryana or Jaipur. They said all assistance will be given, including a flat. In return, they want me to hand over all the details I have about the chief minister, his wife, his son, his daughter and his additional private secretary C M Raveendran. If I refuse, they told me that they would end my life. It was a clear case of a death threat," Swapna said in her Live.
Swapna said the intermediary also promised a duplicate passport in a month. "They want me to go to the UK or somewhere else, away from the people here. Rs 10 crore was the initial settlement amount on offer. Then the final settlement amount was Rs 30 crore. It was their offer for me to start a new life," she said.
Complaint filed
Swapna said she has filed a complaint with the Karnataka Home Minister, the DGP, and the Enforcement Directorate. "I need protection in Bangaluru because I'm not willing to compromise. I will not withdraw unless and until I see the end of it."
Addressing the chief minister, Swapna said: "Pinarayi Vijayan sir, this is not just a fight for me. This is a fight of the entire state against you.... I have just one father, I will fight till the end."
