‘Shaj Kiran threatened me against dragging the CM’s daughter into the controversy’: alleges Swapna Suresh

 

Palakkad: Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the diplomatic gold smuggling case, met the press on Friday and has released the audio clips containing her alleged conversation with Shaj Kiran. Swapna alleged that ‘No 1’, who is said to have connection with Shaj Kiran, was indeed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

‘The funds of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and Pinarayi Vijayan are moved to the US through the accounts of Believers Church. It was the reason why the government took action against them under Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA)’, she said soon after sharing audio clips by holding a press meet at her residence in Palakkad. Swapna added that Shaj was a Benami of Chief Minister. Swapna also said that the voice clips were not edited and asked the media to play as it is to the public.

The audio clip is one-and-half hours long. The gold smuggling accused said that Shaj was a long term acquaintance of hers, who had later threatened her against dragging the CM’s daughter into the controversy. ‘Shaj Kiran asked me whether I knew who I was playing with? He will never be able to bear it if you drag his daughter’s name into this,’ Swapna said while quoting Shaj Kiran during a press conference at her HRDS office in Palakkad. However, Shaj Kiran has denied these allegations.

‘Shaj was first introduced to me by M Sivansankar. I also met him after giving the secret statement in court. He insisted on meeting me after this’, she said. ‘He came to meet me with a person named Ibrahim. Shaj spoke the entire duration of the conversation. Ibrahim said little. Shaj had warned in advance that Sarith would be picked up te next day and realeased later. I called Shaj soon after Sarith was taken due to this warning’, Swapna said, adding that Shaj Kiran threatened to release her sleaze videos if she did not pay heed to his warning.

Since the released clip forms just the last one-and-a-half hour section of a long five-hour conversation Swapna had with Shaj Kiran, it is not easy to decode the motives of Shaj. He talks like a close friend of Swapna and his tone does not suggest threatening behaviour as alleged by Swapna. Shaj even seems to hint that he, too, has been trapped by Swapna’s latest revelations. He sounded desperate and, at one point, says they would face this together come what may.