THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The influence of key suspect in the sensational gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh in the corridors of power yet again came to the fore as the former crime branch team which investigated the forgery case against her, tried to hush up the case citing lack of evidence. The former investigation team of the district crime branch had submitted a report to Thiruvananthapuram First Class Magistrate acquitting the accused in the case.
TNIE has accessed the report filed by the then district crime branch Assistant Commissioner of Police M S Santhosh dated July 27, 2017, stating that the probe team could not find any substantial evidence against the first accused Binoy Jacob who was the vice president of Air India when the forgery case occurred.
Though Swapna was the second accused in the case, the investigation team did not record her statement and submitted a report to the court. As the investigating officer himself submitted a report requesting the court to remove the name of the first accused, the case was closed eventually. As per rules, if the name of the first accused is removed from the FIR, then the case will be closed in six months, sources said.
The FIR against Binoy and Swpana was registered on March 15, 2016, by Valiyathura police on the basis of a complaint by L S Sibu, a direct employee of Air India who alleged that a sexual harassment complaint was forged against him. Later, the case was handed over to the crime branch. M S Santhosh, who was in charge of the investigation, submitted a report to the High Court on February 27, 2017, that the sexual harassment case against Sibu will not stand as the probe found that the complaint against him was forged and Swapna had forced 17 female employees to file the complaint.
“But the officer later tried to settle the case following alleged influence of Binoy and Swapna,” said Sibu.
“Though the case was closed within six months after Santhosh filed the report, I approached the High Court seeking to reopen the case. The case was closed due to the influence of Binoy and Swapna. Therefore, as per the High Court directive, the case was reopened in November 2019 again arraigning Binoy Jacob and Swapna as the first and second accused. She was summoned by a new team led by SP Crime branch A Shanavas and DySP S Anilkumar earlier this year. She was interrogated in February this year. Now, the crime branch is preparing to submit the charge sheet,” said Sibu.