Swapna Suresh, friends cheated each other for max gains
KOCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the smuggling of gold via the diplomatic channel has found that the accused persons duped each other in the smuggling chain to augment their individual monetary gains. After interrogating Swapna Suresh for nearly 13 days, ED also found that she — along with two foreign nationals — received `3.6 crore as commission from the contractor for the Life Mission housing project. Swapna received huge commission from brokering various projects of the UAE Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram too.
The key persons in the network ventured forth to cheat each other as gold smuggling through the diplomatic channel ensured a solid profit. ED estimates that 164kg of gold was smuggled in total on 21 occasions since September 2019 before the gang was busted. In all instances, gold was brought through the Thiruvananthapuram airport, an ED officer told TNIE.
“Rameez K T, who is the mastermind behind the smuggling of gold via the diplomatic channel, cheated Swapna, Sandeep Nair and Sarith P S. The deal was to give $1,000 as commission to Swapna, Sandeep and Sarith for smuggling each kilogram of gold. They also received `50,000 as additional remuneration for a successful smuggling bid,” the officer said. However, to lower their commission, Rameez never revealed the exact quantity of gold smuggled on each occasion. Only persons appointed by Rameez were permitted to open the consignment at Sandeep’s house.
Swapna took `1 cr from Life Mission contractor
“IF 25kg of gold is smuggled, Rameez would tell Sandeep, Sarith and Swapna that only 15kg was smuggled,” the officer said. At the same time, Swapna and Sarith got even on Rameez by claiming that gold arrived with the full knowledge of the UAE Consul General. The duo charged additional $1,000 dollars for each kilogram of gold claiming it to be the payment to the Consul General. “The Consul-General was unaware of the smuggling attempts. But Swapna and Sarith made Sandeep and Rameez believe that an amount is paid as commission to the Consul General. After the Consul-General returned to the UAE in April this year, they paid $1,000 dollars to the Consulate in-charge claiming that they were bringing in duty- free goods on three occasions in June,” the officer said.
In June last year, Sandeep and Rameez approached Swapna via Sarith to smuggle gold under the cover of diplomatic baggage. In July, two dummy consignments were sent to ensure that smuggling through the diplomatic channel is a safe route. “On both occasions, Rameez’s associates in Dubai videographed the packing of the consignment to take persons investing money in smuggling into confidence. The dummy packet reached Thiruvananthapuram intact, without any checking. On arrival, the consignment was cleared within an hour,” an official said. After the 2018 flood, the UAE Consulate, on the insistence of Swapna, decided to donate money to Life Mission -- the Kerala government’s welfare housing project.
“The total cost for providing flats to over 120 families in Thrissur sponsored by the UAE Consulate under the Life Mission project was worth `18 crore. The land for the project was given by the Kerala government. Swapna, a high-ranking UAE diplomat and an Egyptian national in the UAE Consulate agreed to give the construction work to a contractor for a commission amounting to 20 per cent of the project cost. They received `3.6 crore as commission, with Swapna alone receiving `1 crore,” an officer said. Sandeep, another accused in the case, had approached the construction company through its employee. The company held a meeting with a top UAE Consulate official.
The commission amount was fixed later in a meeting between the company representatives and the accused persons at a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. “Swapna also received commission worth around `70 lakh from companies which were given contracts to collect fees for the stamping of UAE Visa at the consulate. Swapna and the co-accused also received a commission for allotting the construction of the UAE Consulate in Hyderabad,” an officer said. Swapna, who was very close to the Consul General with decisive power, resigned from the consulate expecting the current Consul General would be appointed as the Ambassador of UAE to another foreign Mission and she would receive an important position there.
‘Sivasankar is a traitor’ PWD Minister G Sudhakaran called M Sivasankar a ‘traitor’ for misusing his freedom. “The stink in CMO stops at Sivasankar. There is no problem beyond that,” he said
Went abroad together M Sivasankar has admitted to the ED that he had travelled abroad with Swapna on a couple of times. Swapna had also hired a joint bank locker with a third person as per his direction.